


Love Me Better

by Panacea_Z



Category: K-pop, Monbebe, Monsta X (Band), Wenee, Wonho - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - Mob, Angsty Lee Hoseok | Wonho, Crime Drama, F/M, Fluff, Gangster life, Originally Posted on Tumblr, Smut, angsty, monsta x au, so much angst Jesus Christ, sometimes soft too
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-05
Updated: 2020-10-15
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:14:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 43
Words: 81,954
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26840467
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Panacea_Z/pseuds/Panacea_Z
Summary: Vy is a girl on the run, and upon escaping from her father she runs into The Clan. The Clan is a subset of a mob organization in this Monsta X Mob AU. She is thrown into a world of chaos, murder, and conspiracies and finds comfort in the group, particularely Minhyuk...and Wonho.Can she emerge from the hole she dug herself into? Or will her new enemies kill her and her new friends?Find out in this ANGSTY (sometimes fluffy) fully trashy romance/thriller! (NOTE: This was written before Wonho was removed from MX, during the The Clan era).https://btsinwonderland.tumblr.com/post/162071678599/love-me-better-a-monsta-x-story-here-itVideo Trailer of the story (originally written on Tumblr)^
Relationships: Chae Hyungwon/Original Female Character(s), Im Changkyun | I.M/Original Female Character(s), Lee Hoseok | Wonho/Original Female Character(s), Lee Jooheon/Original Female Character(s), Lee Minhyuk (Monsta X)/Original Female Character(s), Son Hyunwoo | Shownu/Original Female Character(s), Yoo Kihyun/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 8





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A Monsta X Crime/Drama AU that I originally wrote on Tumblr. 
> 
> This was written many years ago when Wonho was still a part of Monsta X, but in light of Wonho emerging wonderfully on his own I wanted to bring this story back =) 
> 
> There are a lot of Monsta X Easter eggs in this story, so if you're a fan I think you'll enjoy it. I'll provide images of moodboards that I made during some specific chapters as well :)
> 
> Enjoy!

“Dad stop it! You knew she would leave eventually. What’s the point of freaking out now?”

“Shut up you dumb shit, it’s your fault you know, she wouldn’t have left if she didn’t have to take care of you. ”

She paused to take a breath though her face was flaming and hot, “That’s not true, she left because you couldn’t get your shit together!”

He then got up and laid a solid slap across her face, to which she smiled sweetly while slightly wincing. A tiny spot of blood beaded on her lower lip.

“You think she left cause I’m a scumbag huh? Well then, she must not give a shit about you to leave you here does she?”

To that there was no answer, she had none to give, and the burning in her face moved down to a sickening boiling in her stomach. All she could do was walk away before her eyes started watering.

He tried to grab her arm before she opened the door but she jerked it away, “Get the hell away from me.”

“Where do you think your going! You think you’ll last a day on your own? Then get out, hope I don’t see you on the streets on my way to work.”

“I’d rather be on the streets than here, ” she whispered lowly to herself.

She opened the door and slammed it shut behind her so loudly the windows in the adjacent apartments shook. The yellow stains along the corridor followed her path down the hall and out to the stairwell. As she ran down, the tears came tumbling out and she groaned wiping them away.

“Vy stop it you’re gonna ruin your makeup, of all the things that went wrong tonight you wanna mess that up too?”

She sighed at the echo of her pathetic voice, her lip began to ache and blood got on her fingers when she touched it, “just great.”

After descending twelve flights of stairs she felt the cool night air upon her. The road glistened with warm streetlights shining on damp pavement. There was a homeless man relieving himself beside the door she opened.

She walked out into the open street and turned a corner to head a few blocks into downtown. A neon sign buzzed above her head for pizza and her stomach growled, suddenly triggered. She rolled her eyes and kept walking, the time on her watch said 3:13AM. Where could she go at this time of night?

She continued forward though with each passing minute it seemed to grow darker and colder. Even the streetlights dimmed with each step. She put up the hood of her sweater and shoved her hands in her pockets then looked around. There was someone in the distance walking in her direction, she paid him little attention.

The few places that were still lit had very little going for them, it was not a busy night, as it was a Wednesday. Most sane people were in their beds. She decided to walk towards the park where there might be a nice bench to sleep on by the trees, once she crossed the street she noticed someone walking in her direction, much closer. It was a lanky man with a chain hanging from his pockets. He had a huge grin on his face as he waved at her to stop.

“Hey there! What’s your name?”

She did not respond, instead pulled down her sweater and walked away. Faster.

“Hey come on babe, I just want to see if you’re okay!” He ran towards her and grabbed her arm.

“Listen I am really fed up of being stopped every time I try to leave tonight, how about you go take a hike?”

He scoffed and stared at her, “Don’t be a bitch.”

Perhaps it was the tone of youthful arrogance or the accumulation of the night’s events that crackled in her brain like pop rocks. But something snapped, and she swerved around and gave him a hard punch in the jaw.

He yelled and fell over, seemingly down for the night, “What the fuck?!”

She was about to run off when she heard boisterous laughter from the bushes. Looking around, she almost did not notice a dark shadow off to the side, it looked like it was trembling. The laughter continued to echo from the canopy as the shadow emerged, it was a man who was keeling over laughing like he had just seen the funniest thing in his life.

He held on to the side of a tree to hold himself and eventually straightened up. She felt like yelling at him and was ready to deal with another crazy with clenched fists when she saw his face. He had a warm pale complexion with soft looking brown hair framing his features. He had kind eyes and a beautiful smile, it made her pause.

She barely caught her breath when his sweet voice filled the air, “That was hilarious! Of all the outcomes…” He started chuckling again.

When he pulled himself together he walked towards her slowly and just lifted his index finger gesturing her to wait a moment. He then moved to the lanky man who was still groaning on the pavement and grabbed him by the scruff of his shirt.

“Of all the ways I could have found you, don’t you agree this is the funniest?” He smiled.

The lanky man suddenly realized in whose arms he was hanging from and immediately his demeanor changed, “Listen man, I’m so sorry, I’ll get the rest to you right away I promise!”

“You have two days, let’s hope the situation doesn’t get much more serious than this. Understand?”

The lanky man nodded vigorously until he was let go. Then he ran off around the corner.

She just watched the exchange with curiosity knowing that something odd was afoot but it felt vague and too faraway for her to care. The man turned back around with a sweet smile and approached her.

“Hi, I’m Minhyuk, nice to meet you,” he reached out his hand.

She hesitated, and looked him in the eyes, she did not feel immediate danger or lust in his gaze that made her want to run off. “Hi, I’m Vy, like the word ‘eye’ with a V.”

He smiled when she took his hand, “Well Vy like the word ‘eye’, I just want to say thank you very much for helping me out.”

She gave him a puzzled look, “What do you mean?”

He looked around quickly and took her hand, walking back towards the street.

Nobody ever dragged her around like this, “Hey what do you think you’re doing?

“I would just rather chat over some food than on the street, how do you feel about pizza?”

At that her stomach growled again, but louder, such that he heard it and laughed, “I’m going to take that as a yes.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Free pizza and suspicious activity...

“So what’s your deal?” Vy said after taking a big bite of pizza.

The smell of hot cheese and the crunch of peppers gave her shivers. She closed her eyes for a moment at the delicious flavour.

“Should I give you and that pizza some privacy?” Minhyuk said and laughed.

She mumbled through bites egging him to go on. He gazed at her, marvelling at how hungry she must have been despite her casual disposition. When she looked up at him he looked away and began talking.

“It’s just funny that I ways looking for that guy, and before you know it you have him on the ground all ready for me,” he paused taking a bite of pizza, “do you believe in fate?”

Vy snorted and took a drink of water. “Was it fate my shitty life ended up here in this pizza place with you at 3 in the morning? If so, guess it isn’t so bad. Thanks for the food.”

She got up and grabbed her sweater, half expecting him to grab her arm. Instead he just politely asked her to wait, so she paused.

“Where are you going? I have a car, I can drop you home, as you can clearly see the streets are filled with many weirdos,” he said gesturing to himself.

Vy was not sure how to respond, she did not want to tell him too much in case he was some psycho. But she really had nowhere to go either. She began to feel a dangerous hint of comfort around him.

“I…I’m going to go sleep in the park. Long story short, I left home and have some stuff to figure out. I can just walk, thanks.”

His face became serious, but not in a pitiful way. “Listen, I know you might think I’m some psycho, but I live in an apartment building where there are a bunch of spare studios. My friend is the landlord and I know he wouldn’t mind if you stayed just until you figured it out. I can’t leave you here like this, especially after you helped me out.” He smiled at her warmly.

She was not sure what to say and the silence became a long pause.

“You think about it while I go get a cookie. ”

When he left to go to the front counter and out of view, without another thought she grabbed her jacket and ran out the door.

Minhyuk ate the cookie as he looked out the window to see her run off, and smiled wistfully. “Smart girl.”

She ran back the park and sat down huffing and puffing. Then she bent over and rested her hands on her knees to catch her breath. Was her choice was smart or stupid? Letting strangers give free living arrangements seemed suspicious no matter how handsome they were. No matter how handsome…

The thought of going back home came across her mind. No. She thought to go back when her father was at work to get her stuff. She looked at her watch, it was 4:11AM, only 2 more hours until he would leave. She decided to ride out the time curled up on a corner of the bench.

“Excuse me are you alright ma’am?” A small voice said.

She opened her eyes to see a small child shaking her shoulder, her sweater had fallen onto the damp ground and he held it up to her. There was a fuzzy feeling on her teeth and she could taste the bitterness on her tongue. The sky was no longer dark and heavy but a navy blue showing first light. Her head felt heavy as though she was hung over. She took her sweater from the child and smiled at him.

“Honey come back here! I told you not to to talk to strangers!” An angry mother came stomping over and grabbed him by the shoulders. She glared at Vy, eyed her up and down with a grimace, and took her son away.

Vy laughed at herself and winced, her shoulders ached from the stiffness of the bench. She had no memory of falling asleep, it was half past 7 in the morning, but at least she had gotten some rest. Rubbing her shoulders she looked around at the park. People were off on their morning runs in expensive track suits, some tourists walked around with cameras and tired expressions, and others pan handled at the edges of the streets. It was much more alive now, but somehow she missed the solace of the night despite how terrible it was.

She walked back to the apartment feeling like a heaping pile of garbage. The possibility of a shower tempted her, though she did not want to stay even a second more than necessary. After climbing what felt like the thousandth step she headed to the familiar smoke stained door and took out her key.

It was only after failing to stick the key in did she notice how oddly shiny the lock was, she looked closer and saw that it was brand new. Its glossy gold sheen looked out of place in the stained white hallway. Sudden realization made her face hot and her blood boil.

“Are you fucking kidding me! Of all the things you never did this is what your drunk ass ends up doing?!” She went on a stream of profanities slamming and banging at the door.

Her screams eventually became sobs which she quickly masked once the tears fell. When a neighbour creaked open their door she shoved her hood on and ran off. Her desperation grew quickly, she was beginning to panic and rage at the same time. Where would she live? She had nothing, except her clothes and a phone on minimum battery. She would rather die than go back to him begging, like he wanted.

She leaned against the faded brick walls in an alley around the corner, her head began to ache. Rubbing her temples, she fiddled with a thought. Should she call him? Him, being her ex. The idea seemed horrid, but she was fresh out of options.

“Which asshole to crawl back to…” She said aloud and laughed.

After a couple hours a blue jeep pulled up in front of her. She mustered up the most genuine smile she could and walked up to it.

“Thank you John.”

“Knew you’d come back, they always do, don’t try anything though, I got a new girl so you can only stay tonight.”

It was evening, and she was alone in his house. She searched his fridge for food and found mouldy cheese, questionable chinese leftovers and a ton of beer. Opting for the latter two, she sat down on the olive corduroy couch and ate. His house brought back annoying memories of when she was teenager. The familiar feeling of the couch made her skin crawl. But she could not complain, her stomach was full and she had a roof over her head. It was better than most.

She had barely started her internal pep talk, when the door slammed open and a shrill voice filled the air. “What the hell John! You bring this bitch into our house? What else am I supposed to think?”

She could hear John murmuring soft lines like “baby no” and “its not that”, but the woman refused to listen. Heels clacked their way up to Vy and a brunette towered over her.

“Making yourself right at home huh? Get the fuck out of here if you wanna stay in one piece.”

“Baby, she just needed a place to crash, her dad’s an asshole and she’s got no friends.”

With that, Vy got up and grabbed her sweater. She put her bowl in the sink and put her shoes on. “Thanks John, but she’s right, I shouldn’t be here. I’ll close the door on my way out.”

As she closed the door she could still hear them yelling at each other.

“What if she found the money?”

“Shut up! Someone might hear you!”

A man clad in black passed her in the corridor as she almost ran into him. She was down half a flight of stairs when she realized her phone was charging in the kitchen. With a heavy sigh she readied herself for another awkward encounter.

She ran back and noticed the door was partially open. Just as she was about to grab the doorknob she heard John’s voice, “Please man, they didn’t tell me everything alright? I didn’t know it was his! Come on, don’t kill me pl-.”

With the quiet hiss of a silencer his voice was immediately cut off. Vy put her hand to her mouth and looked through the crack at the man in black she had run into, he held a gleaming gun while John’s body laid on the floor in a pool of blood, not far off his girlfriend was in a similar state. Vy took a step back when the wooden floor below her creaked loudly. Fuck. The man’s head cocked in her direction, and she ran for her life.


	3. Chapter 3

Wind whipped her hair across her face as she ran down the street. Rain fell with a soft pitter patter on the pavement. She looked back with a sigh of relief seeing no one at first. Half a second later a hooded figure popped out of the shadows, she saw something silver glisten menacingly in his hand.

She cursed loudly and kept running, then the rain started to pour. Her sweater became soaked in seconds. Water droplets cascaded down her face making it hard to see. The milky streetlights did nothing but illuminate spotlight circles down her path. She decided to stray away from the street towards the industrial part of the city. It was filled with warehouses and buildings of all kinds, perhaps she could lose him there.

Her lungs began to cramp when she got to a chain link fence. She hooked her fingers in it starting to climb when a bullet hit the pole beside her. He was really trying to kill her! The situation became so much more real when she looked at the bullet hole. She frantically climbed the fence and jumped down on the other side.

She yelled as her ankle twisted upon landing.

Pain shot through her leg when she got up but the adrenaline pumping through her body kept her going. She glanced back to see him speeding up to get to the fence. She ran down a grassy hill towards various brick buildings.

It smelled of burnt tar and metal, there were enormous piles of dirt and sand all over the place. She ran around one building and tried zig zagging through them in a redundant pattern. Once she could breathe no more she saw in the distance rows of storage containers. With her last ounce of energy she ran to them and hid behind one.

From the edge of the container she peeked her head out, still keeping in the shadows, to see if he was there. Her heart was pounding so loudly she was afraid someone might hear. The rain had eased into a soft drizzle so she kept her eyes wide open to scan her entire field of view repeatedly. The way she crouched hurt her ankle but the pain had become a dull numbness, her fingers squeezed the edge of the container.

An odd noise occurred behind her. She froze.

She closed her eyes and sent out a silent prayer before turning around. There was nobody there. She walked towards the source of the noise, staying against the container as if she might blend in. When she got to the other side, she held her breath. With a gulp of air she popped her head out to see, there was nobody there.

Before she could even question it, a hand grabbed her shoulder. She screamed and jumped back, falling to the ground.

“You must believe in fate now!”

She looked up expecting to see the barrel of a silver gun, “Minhyuk?”

He stood there smiling and held out his hand. She stayed on the ground for a moment before taking it.

“What are you doing here?” She said.

“Meditation of course, what about you? You look like hell…”

She suddenly remembered and panicked. Grabbing his hand she pulled him low and explained what happened.

“And he’s here somewhere, looking for me. Please get out of here I don’t want you to get caught up in this,” she said.

Minhyuk had a strange expression on his face but it vanished quickly. “I can help you, come with me.”

She thought back to when he offered her help at the pizza place, he still wanted to help her despite her rude exit, and despite the fact that there was a gun wielding psycho in the premises. Her arm went limp in his hand as she let him lead.

They walked a fair distance, Vy did her best to keep up. Her ankle started to swell painfully though she kept it to herself. They came upon a large cement staircase and she groaned quietly at the thought of climbing it. As if he read her thoughts, Minhyuk crouched in front of her.

“What are you doing?” She said.

“My car is parked just at the top of these steps, you’ve been walking and running on a badly twisted ankle this whole time, I won’t take no for an answer. Get on, and hurry.”

She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and got on his back. When he got up the weight shift startled her and she tightened her embrace. She heard him chuckle. Her cheeks burned.

“What is so funny, we are in a life or death situation!”

“Got to find the good in the bad, otherwise it’s all bad.”

At first she tried to hold on as loosely as possible, but with no desire to fall down cement stairs she quickly changed her mind. Her arms were around his shoulders in a tight grip and her face was against the back of his neck. He smelled relaxing and warm, and was barely perspiring though she weighed a fair bit. His clothes felt soft and clean, she felt bad that her damp ones were ruining his. Perhaps angels did fall out of the sky.

When they reached the top he softly set her down and opened the door to a silver truck. She started to climb in when her legs were lifted from under her and Minhyuk swept her up in his arms.

“Hey hey, it’s okay! I’m not a baby!”

He just laughed and placed her in the passenger’s seat. “You’re most definitely not a baby.”

She felt relief and pain rush through her when they drove a distance away from the area. A migraine settled into her head as soon as she began to relax, Minhyuk put down the windows. She leaned her head out to feel the cool breeze against her face and closed her eyes.

“Where are you taking me?”

“To my place, let’s get you cleaned up before anything else.”

She didn’t realize she had fallen asleep until the car came to a halt. Her head lifted lazily and she looked out the windows. It seemed as though they were still in the industrial area from before but it looked different, less menacing and horror movie like.

There were other cars parked by them and she noticed a small building in front of the car, with balconies popping out of the side. It had what seemed to be only three levels.

“Is this that apartment building you mentioned before? You live here?” She said.

He smiled at her and got out of the car. She watched him walk around the front to her side. There were golden hoops hanging from his hair, they glistened against the warm brown. The door on her side opened and she braced herself to be picked up. He was gentle about it and set her down slowly.

The inside of the building was nicer than she had expected, given the outside, it was still slightly dingy but it was better than the hole she came from. The walls were brown and she was led through a dim hallway. The first floor contained what looked like offices and a small cafeteria. When she went up a flight of stairs she was led to four numbered doors.

She had no idea what to expect when she went into his apartment, but it was of a simple studio style with a bed, kitchen, and TV all in view. There was a small table for two by the balcony.

“Well this is it, please take a seat, and let me get something for your ankle,” Minhyuk said and walked out the door.

She limped to the bathroom, it was getting harder to walk. When she looked in the mirror it was not as bad as she thought. Her eyes had dark circles around them and her lip area was bruised. The cut was scabbing over at least. Her hair looked like a wet rag and her clothes were covered in dirt and sand. On second thought, perhaps it was as bad as she thought.

When Minhyuk returned he sat her down and checked out her ankle, she was embarrassed at first but with one tender squeeze he proved how badly she needed treatment. Before getting bandaged she went for a shower and he provided her with spare clothes.

When she was finished getting changed she sat on the bed and it sank down in a heavenly way. He brought her some snacks while apologizing for the lack of food.

“Please don’t apologize I’m already too much in your debt, I’m so sorry,” she said.

He began to bandage her ankle, she winced slightly but his hands were light as a feather. When he finished he gently stroked the top of her foot. She did not realize she was staring until his eyes met hers. There was a strong urge to look away but something kept her locked in his gaze.

He sat beside her on the edge of the bed and grasped her hand gently, “You should be more careful, what if I wasn’t there? I knew I shouldn’t have let you go last night, but please from now on, just trust me.”

She could only nod slowly, now that they were inside his room the aura had changed. His warm smell was clinging to everything. She felt her heart began to pound at the touch of his hand.

“You can sleep here, no one will bother you. If you need anything I’ll be in the room across the hall, just knock. Okay?”

“Mhmm.”

He looked into her eyes and stayed there for a moment. She was frozen, even the ankle pain began to subside. He inched closer as if he would say something more, but he shook his head slightly and got up.

“Minhyuk!”

He paused at the door.

“Thank you. For everything.”

******************

She woke up with a start, the last thing she saw was getting shot in the head by the mysterious gunman. Her head spun but when she felt the softness of the sheets around her and the familiar warm smell, it had a calming effect.

Her ankle was incredibly swollen but the pain was not as bad as last night. She got up and limped to the door. The hallway was empty and dark. She went to the door across from her and was about to knock when she heard voices.

“What were you thinking Minhyuk? If anyone finds out we are screwed. I’m sorry she’s going to have to leave. It’s enough of a liability that you saved her life. Kihyun was just doing his job.”

She did not realize the door was partially open when she leaned on it and came crashing into the room to see three people staring up at her. One was Minhyuk looking angry, another was a tall muscular man she did not recognize, and the other one was off to the side with his hood on with bright pink hair peeking through. There was something oddly familiar about him, she saw a glint of silver sticking out of his pocket…

“Oh my god, it’s him, he’s the one that tried to kill me last night!” She pointed to the pink haired man.

The taller man got up in a flash and shut the door behind her, she had nowhere to escape and began to panic.

The pink haired one got up and approached her with a chilling smile, “Looks like we keep running into each other…I’m Kihyun.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Moodboard at the end of the story relating to the chapter :)

“Minhyuk, what is going on?”

“Kihyun get away from her, she’s not a job anymore,” Minhyuk said. He walked up to Vy and pulled her towards him, stepping in front of her.

The tall man at the door spoke, “This is a problem, what do you suggest we do about it?”

“Please Shownu, just let her stay here for now, we’ll figure something out. Boss doesn’t need to know, if he asks just say she’s my girlfriend,” Minhyuk put his arm around Vy.

She could barely process what was happening, and when she felt his arm around her it made her feel more confused. She wanted to say something but the moment did not feel right.

Shownu and Kihyun looked at each other for a while until Shownu looked back at Minhyuk and stared at him. He glanced at Vy, “You better not stir up trouble here…or else,” he gestured to Kihyun.

Vy looked at Kihyun who smiled and waved at her, as innocent as it seemed she knew the level of danger behind it.

Minhyuk took her hand and led her out of the room. They went back into his room and he sat her down.

“I know what you’re thinking.”

“You have no idea what I’m thinking Minhyuk,” Vy said.

He looked down when she spoke, “I’m sorry. Kihyun…it’s just his job, it wasn’t anything personal. He won’t hurt you anymore, I promise.”

“He killed my friend!”

Minhyuk could barely look her in the eyes, he looked very solemn. “I’m sorry it had to be that way, please know that it wasn’t for no reason. I know that won’t comfort you, I know that you probably think we’re all psychos. But we’re not crazy. Sometimes we have to do things. Things we don’t want to do. And I’m sorry that’s the only answer I can give you.”

She wanted to ask him what they were doing, what their line of work was, however, she felt that she knew from the moment she met Minhyuk. There was some understanding already in place since day one, and in truth she was too scared to confirm her thoughts.

“Give me some time and I can find a place for you, away from here, and then you can go. There’s a lot going on in the streets, I just don’t want you to be out there alone.”

“Why?” Vy’s question echoed in the room.

“Well there are some financial companies that are making major management changes and it’s ruffling a lot of feathers…” he started to go into an explanation of the economic tension their city was facing.

“No, I meant why are you worried about me? You don’t even know me, ” she said.

He was pacing in front of the bed until she interrupted, then he knelt down in front of her and reached up to her face. His fingers felt so light on her skin, barely a whisper. His eyes latched onto hers.

“I…I just can’t let you get hurt, I can’t.”

She reached up and touched the hand on her cheek. Their fingers interlocked for a moment and she felt the air grow increasingly heavy. Her face felt hot and her heart pounded in her ears.

His eyes held darkness she could not look through. There were incredible walls within them she only just noticed. He was casual and kind with a warm attitude, but she realized how little he really let go.

He leaned forward and her breath caught in her throat, she could feel the heat of his breath. Warm lips pressed against her forehead, they were so soft. She felt her stomach do little flips as she faced his chest. Close enough to reach…

He took a step back and put his hands on her shoulders, “Please Vy? Promise you’ll trust me?”

She had no idea what she was getting herself into, but with each passing moment she felt herself getting sucked in, “I promise.”

****************

A couple days had passed since her awkward arrival to the apartment. There were ground rules that were set and she was only allowed in certain places. Minhyuk had tried to tell her she should not go out without him but she refused to sell off her freedom for food and a bed so they compromised. There were only select times in the day she could go out, due to the fact that they had operations running. Minhyuk did not want her to interact with the others in fear she might get seen, only Shownu and Kihyun knew she was in the premises. Minhyuk had told her there were a few others that lived with them that she did not need to know or meet as they would disapprove.

Minhyuk gave up his room to her and moved his essentials to the room across it. She spent most of her time on that floor of the apartment. 

She was tying her hair up when there was a knock at the door. Through the eye hole she saw Minhyuk’s figure looking at the door. A smile came to her lips.

“Hi,” she said opening the door.

He walked in with a large duffle bag and set it beside the bed. “This is for you, you could use more than just that one pair of sweatpants.”

“You didn’t need to do that Minhyuk, as if I need to be more in your debt…”

“Please take it, don’t worry none of it is expensive anyway, ” he said and laughed.

She grinned and rolled her eyes, “In that case, thank you…really. ”

He smiled when she said thank you, however, it vanished right away and he began rubbing the back of his neck.

“What’s wrong?” She asked.

“I have to leave for a few days, for a job. But I don’t want to leave you here alone,” he took her hands in his.

She was not used to being touched so tenderly and it made her heart race. He had begun to nonchalantly touch her here and there and she was not sure if he realized what it did. But it had its effects.

“It’s okay, I’ll be fine. You told me the rules and I’ll be careful, go, don’t worry about me. Call me if you can,” she said.

He squeezed her hands gently, “I’m going to tell Jooheon, I trust him, he can take care of you while I’m away. I’ll give you his number too, and remember…”

“Minhyuk! Relax, I will be fine.”

He sighed and patted her on the head. “Ok, sorry. I’ll see you when I get back, be safe.”

Suddenly he leaned in and gave her a kiss on the cheek. Her senses jolted on and her eyes widened. She stood there like a statue. He just laughed and walked out the door. 

“Oh and one more thing,” he said, popping his head through the doorway, “stay away from the guy in the black car.”

Before she could recover and ask who that was, he was gone. She placed a hand on her cheek and stared into space for an extended period of time. It was on fire. Only when another knock occurred did she come back to reality.

It was someone she had not met yet, he wore a fuzzy hat and had a wide smile on his face with deep dimples showing. She could not help but smile back at his glowing expression.

“I’m Jooheon!” He said and waved with both hands. “You’re Vy, with an eye?”

She laughed and nodded. “Minhyuk sent you?”

“Yup, I’m supposed to take care of you, and hide you? I’m not sure what Minhyuk is doing but you seem cool so it’s cool. As long as you’re careful, you only leave at the times he specified, everything should be good so don’t worry he’ll be back in no time…”

He spoke so quickly she could barely keep up, “Thank you Jooheon, I won’t bother you I swear.”

“No it’s okay, please bother me,” he said with a wink, “my room is a floor above yours, room 302, need anything just knock.”

Before she could respond they heard tires on gravel through the open window and Jooheon ran inside to look. She followed him to the balcony to see a black car pull up.

She tried to peek around Jooheon to see who it was but he stopped her, “Be careful you don’t want him to see you.”

“Who is that?” She said. She went on her tiptoes to get a quick glance.

“That’s Wonho.”


	5. Chapter 5

She slurped on warm ramen while looking out the window. The lights were kept off to not draw attention to her supposedly unoccupied room. Jooheon had stayed with her for a while in the afternoon and they talked about different things. She had summed up enough courage to ask him what they did for a living, but he joked that he would have to kill her after. It was not taken as a joke.

What she did find out was that seven people lived in the apartment and she had only met four of them. Jooheon told her to stay away from Wonho and Hyungwon, who were now back from their latest job. Apparently they would not take her visit so well.

She sat there thinking for a moment and put her chopsticks down, it seemed like the argument with her father happened so long ago. Her lip had almost healed completely too. Perhaps if all the physical signs disappeared she would forget, but she never wanted to.

She glanced at the clock and hastily finished her food. Putting on a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt she grabbed her shoes and ran out the door. It was one of the few times in the evening she could go out. When she crept down the hall, it made her think of earlier days when she snuck out from home. Then a memory emerged of when her father found her. She quickly thought of something else.

The stairs were creaky and she hoped no one heard the noise. She got to the first floor and was about to leave through the fire exit when she heard approaching voices. She quickly ran from the door to hide underneath a gap in the stairs. There was no basement, but a couple steps leading to a small useless area was built. She felt silly for running and hiding but did not want to create any uproars.

“Did you make sure to count the other three trucks as well? They had a shitload in there. Make sure it’s right, you know what happens when it’s not accurate,” a voice said.

She did not recognize it and wondered who it was, there was an urge to peek her head out to see, but she refrained.

A second voice spoke, “Yeah Wonho, I did, like three times. So don’t worry, we got this down. Shownu will get a report to our guy it’ll be as smooth as the last one. Let’s go tell him now, I think he was with Changkyun.”

“We’re not giving him the report in front of Changkyun, we barely know him, he’s only been here for what? A few months?”

“Don’t be such an asshole, this is why he doesn’t approach you, you don’t even try to get to know him…”

The voices gradually disappeared and she let out the breath she was holding in relief.

“Me too, ” a voice said from the corner behind her.

She yelled and jumped away, startled. Where she was hiding, there was someone completely blended in with the back wall and she had not spotted them at all. He emerged and stood up holding out his hand.

“Sorry for the scare, I’m Changkyun, I assume you’re the girl Minhyuk snuck in here?”

First she did not respond from the sudden surprise and the fact that he already knew who she was. She slowly took his hand, unsure. He did not seem to really care about her being there but wistfully looked up the stairs.

“Guess you can’t trust anyone in this business.”

“What were you doing under the stairs?” Vy said.

“Same as you, hiding, it’s kind of my specialty,” he said, looking a little embarrassed.

The more he talked the more sweet he seemed, perhaps she could trust that he would not say anything.

As if he read her mind he said, “Don’t worry, I won’t tell them. Doesn’t matter to me whether you stay here.”

“Thank you Changkyun,” Vy said.

He shook his head with a smile and left her to her own devices. So far her interactions with the boys were way better than the first night. She had dreaded running into any of them since Kihyun. Though after meeting Jooheon and Changkyun, her spirits lifted.

She left the apartment and decided to go downtown towards the library. The streets contained crowds of people in a constant rush. Perhaps it was rush hour, many people were in suits and fancy clothes, it was a side of the city she rarely went to.

A group of ruffled looking boys pushed passed her while she and a few others glared at them. They had suitcases with them which felt odd to Vy but she decided not to linger. Her former home by no means had a calm rural feel, it had been in the grungy part of the city. Her neighbour was a junkie while many other sketchy neighbours passed through. She knew a suspicious scheme when she saw one. Her mother taught her to steer away from danger given certain signs.

Her heart sunk at the thought of her mother. Luckily she was at the library before her thoughts went to deeper places. She sat at a computer station and smiled, a couple hours of internet surfing was going to be time well spent.

After countless useless videos to ease her mind she decided to get to work, and look for a job. She knew that Minhyuk had wanted to find her a home and everything but she wished to figure things out on her own. There were a number of postings that she looked through, though most of them paid too little to support oneself. She looked for apartments at the same time and the prices were alarming.

She grumbled and quit all the windows at once. Her hands gripped the table tightly. Then she put her head in her hands and sat there, absolutely stuck. There were so many options she tried to think of that only led to dead ends. Deciding on one more round of searches, she opened another window. The home page popped up again to show the news, only it caught her eye this time.

“Double homicide…”

She clicked on the story and a picture of John’s apartment popped up. Her hands began sweating as she kept reading.

“Possibility of gang involvement…police have been investigating leads for years on these underground criminal activities to no effect…”

The story had her searching other articles and she wondered if this was what Minhyuk was involved in. With each page her spirits sank lower, a part of her knew, but the confirmation made it so real. She should be no where near them.

Things were getting so crazy, all she did was walk out of her apartment. But the sane person in her knew that being in that place was dangerous, and she did not want to cause Minhyuk any trouble. She decided to leave in the next morning.

When she made her decision, she saw the sun had sunk low into the horizon, “Shit!”

Looking at her watch she saw that it was way past the time to be back in her room. She ran out of the library and back to the apartment. It took her longer than she hoped as her ankle was still healing, but when she got around to the fire escape she stopped for a breath.

It looked safe enough, lights were on in the left side of the main floor but she was on the opposite side. She crept in and ran to the staircase. Nobody was there. She sighed and relaxed a little.

She walked down the hallway and got the keys out of her pocket. It was pitch black and quite hard to see but she made it.

She opened the door when suddenly a force pushed her into the room and slammed her against the wall. Pain shot through her temple. Her wrist was held up to the wall and a hand gripped her throat. She tried to move away but the more she thrashed around the tighter the hand at her throat. A hot breath grazed her face and she tried to see who it was. With her free hand she reached the light switch and flicked it on.

A pale faced man stared at her with an unyielding visage, his eyes bore into her. His features were so crisp and menacing. Blonde hair with blue tips framed a livid expression. “Who the fuck are you?”

She struggled to speak, “P-please…I…”

He pressed down on her throat and she gasped for air, and clawed at his arm with her free hand. In a flash her wrist was let go and a knife was pressed up against the nape of her neck. She stopped moving completely, though it nicked her lightly. It stung but she could barely feel it as the mans entire body was pressed up against her.

She just stared at him in helpless desperation, “Wonho…”

His nostrils flared and he glared at her, “Give me a reason, why I shouldn’t kill you right here right now.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slight content warning, things are rough and Vy get's scuffed up. This is a gang/mob AU so there will be violence throughout this story.

Her arms went limp and she just stood there in his death grip. He eased up his arm on her throat so she could speak.

She coughed loudly and cleared her throat painfully, “I’m not…here to hurt anyone.”

His expression changed and for a moment and she was afraid he would actually kill her, but he just laughed in her face. “Yeah it’s pretty obvious you’re no assassin.” In an instant he became deadly serious again, “But what are you doing here, how did you find this place?”

She moved forward to speak when he slammed her against the wall again, “Don’t move.”

Her head was pounding in a rhythm of pain searing across her skull.

“Wonho what the hell are you doing?” It was Jooheon’s voice.

“What do you think, we have an intruder.”

“No, this is…Fuck this is all wrong, let her go!”

Jooheon tried to push Wonho away but he grabbed Vy by the scruff of her shirt and spun her around Jooheon through the door and back in the hallway.

“Let’s see what Shownu says,” Wonho said.

He pushed her and she fell to her knees on the hard cement floor. A hand grabbed the back of her shirt and lifted her up effortlessly.

“Move.”

She felt like a rag doll the way she was being pushed around, he grabbed strands of hair each time he pulled or pushed and most likely did not even notice they were pulling on her, or did not even care. There was a part of her contemplating where she could run, but she had a feeling he would kill her on the spot. Of all the moments she missed Minhyuk, she wished for his presence the most in that moment.

She was pulled into an open room on the main floor, it looked like a meeting room. There was a long table by the window and various chairs and couches laying around. She was shoved down onto her knees and she felt a hand on her head, she tried looking up but the hand forced her to face the front.

Changkyun was sitting in the corner, near the window, while Shownu and Kihyun sat at the table looking over papers. Another man she did not recognize sat on a couch reading a book. He looked up uninterestedly at first but then could not stop staring.

“Shownu, please tell him to stop!” Jooheon ran in from behind Vy and Wonho.

Wonho looked at Jooheon and then gripped Vy’s head tightly. She winced at the motion and tried to distract herself.

Shownu stood up and walked up to them, he squatted in front of Vy to get at eye level, “I thought I told you not to stir up trouble.”

Vy shook her head, “P-please, I’ll leave tomorrow morning, I swear!”

“What about Minhyuk?” Shownu asked.

Vy’s eyes snapped to Shownu’s, “Look, all he wanted to do was help me out, I don’t want to cause him any issues. If you want me gone, I’m gone.”

She heard Kihyun chuckle from the table, “Careful what you wish for…”

Shownu stared into her eyes for a moment, trying to read her. All she wanted now was to leave, as much as it pained her to not see Minhyuk again. It was better for them both this way.

He then went back to sit down, “Let her go.” It was so low, barely audible, as were most of his words.

“What? Are you kidding me, what if she goes to the cops, or worse?” Wonho said from behind her.

To her surprise it was Kihyun who spoke up, “Shownu said let her go, so let her go.”

Wonho grabbed her by the hair and pulled her up, he wrapped his arm around her tightly. He was a head taller than her and his arm squeezed her chest, a knife was against her neck once again.

“It’s the wrong call,” he said and pressed the knife further against her neck.

Changkyun had been gazing out the window during the whole ordeal, seemingly unbothered.

He then got up and walked right up to Wonho, facing him head on, “Whatever you choose to do now, know that Minhyuk will never forgive you if you hurt her.”

The room was in an electrifying silence. She could feel the heaviness in the air after Changkyun spoke. She felt Wonho relax his grip, it was like being released from a stiff board. He then finally let her go, and at once Jooheon was at her side, helping her up.

“I’ll accompany her out, make sure she doesn’t trace back around,” Wonho said.

Jooheon put his arm around Vy’s waist for support, “I’m coming with you.”

Wonho led the way out for them to follow. She clung to Jooheon and slowly walked towards the hallway, though suddenly the man she did not recognize was at the door blocking their way. She assumed this was Hyungwon.

He leaned close towards her and stared. His hand reached up to her face and she flinched.

He smiled at her with the most gentle expression, “I won’t hurt you, it’s too bad you couldn’t stay beautiful.” His hand tenderly brushed the hair away from her face and around her ears, “we could have had some fun.” Then his eyes glazed over to boredom in a flash.

Despite the stress she was under, to be flirted with in such a manner in this state made her face flush with embarrassment and discomfort.

Her body tensed up, then Jooheon guided her away from him, “How creepy can you be Hyungwon, seriously.”

Wonho led the way out to the front door. Jooheon yelled at him about at least letting her pack, but Wonho refused and glared at them with such ferocity they complied. She had her outside clothes on at the least.

They walked over to his car and he gestured them to get in.

“Where are you taking us?” Jooheon said.

Wonho rolled his eyes. “Away from this place, any problems? Offering a ride, isn’t that considered a favour.”

They got in, with Jooheon in the front accompanying Wonho. The leather interior felt smooth and cool against her skin, it was comforting despite the pain in her head. She rested it on the window and glanced outside. The trees and street signs blended together in speedy blurs.

She caught a glimpse of Wonho in the mirror, he looked stern and stared intently at the road. His skin was flawless and taught, he had piercings, one on his nose and lip, and his ears. She had never seen someone like him before, and she wondered why he acted so aggressive. Perhaps he was worse than Kihyun. She could not deny his beauty, but looks were deceiving. Even the most beautiful had rotten souls.

His eyes shifted and met hers in the mirror, she looked away quickly.

“Listen, this isn’t personal, and you can hate me for doing my job,” Wonho said.

She continued to look out the window and made a large effort not to remove the stoic expression from her face.

“Where the hell are we going?” Jooheon said after a while.

She did not have her phone, so she was not sure of the time, but it seemed as though quite a bit had passed.

“Almost there, here we go…”

He pulled into an old looking area, there were train tracks all over the place. It did not seem like they were close to downtown any more. Wonho got out of the car and opened the door for her, she gave him a curious expression and walked out. Jooheon looked around and looked like he was about to say something.

“There’s a train station past this one, I’ll give you some money to buy a ticket and you can leave the city,” Wonho said.

She had no desire to argue with him, she felt Jooheon about to speak when she placed a hand on his arm. They looked at each other and she shook her head. Looking around, the area had many empty train cars sitting both on and off the tracks. She almost tripped on the terrain but Jooheon was there to grab her.

As they walked she watched Wonho in front of them, leading the charge in an arrogant stride. She felt a small bubble of anger towards him, especially his rough way of handling things. Her thoughts shifted to Minhyuk, his smile was the only thing she could picture. A small weight dropped in her stomach at the thought of never seeing him again, without even saying goodbye.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard a raspy whistle pierce the air. Out of the rusting metal emerged a group of men, from all over the place. They had gruff expressions and menacing stares.

Wonho stopped walking and faced the group, Jooheon stood in front of Vy, keeping a hand on her wrist.

A tall middle aged man stood out of the group, his whole body was covered in all sorts of chains to the point of looking almost comical. Though the last thing Vy wanted to do was laugh at him. 

"You know the rules no? You stay outta ours, we stay outta yours,” the man said.

Wonho looked around him and grinned, “Come on Phil, we’re just passing through, gotta get to the train station…help a guy out.”

The man’s fists clenched, “Help a guy out eh…”

He then turned around and walked away, before he disappeared into an old train tunnel he raised his arm and made the motion of shooting something. Vy heard Jooheon curse under his breath.

In seconds the other men around them began to close in, some cracked their necks others stretched their shoulders. She was unprepared for what was about to happen. Wonho stood beside her and laughed while Jooheon looked around trying to hide her.

Two men ran up to them, fists raised. She covered her head and closed her eyes briefly in fear. A series of bone crunching and punching sounds occurred, she opened her eyes to see Wonho and Jooheon standing in a fighting position with the two other men on the ground, groaning. Jooheon’s mouth was bleeding but he looked okay, and Wonho looked like he was just getting started. There were three other men, they advanced at once. Jooheon pushed Vy out of the way so hard she fell to the ground. Then the brawl began. Wonho punched and kicked his way in fluid motions, while Jooheon fought with his fists in a rougher form.

Watching them fight jarred her into action. She searched the ground for something, anything. A long nail stuck out of the grass a couple feet ahead of her. She crawled to it and ripped it out.

Suddenly she was yanked up, it was Wonho. He pulled her away from the scene, away from everything.

“What about Jooheon?”

“He told me to get you out of here, he can handle it don’t worry.”

She looked back at Jooheon who punched one of the guys in the nose, the man fell backwards. Wonho pulled her out of sight and threw her on the ground.

“Ow! What the fuck is wrong with you?” She said.

“Did you really think you’d get out of here any other way?” Wonho walked towards her and crouched over her.

She heard a click and a silver knife glinted in his hand, her heart sank. “You were going to kill me the whole time.”

For the tiniest moment a look of guilt appeared on his face. Then it vanished in a flash into a humourless grin. “It’s not personal, and I really am sorry.”

She was done. All the rage she had pent up over the years bubbled to the surface. She saw her father in the back of her mind and her heart went ice cold. She gripped the nail in her hand and drove it into Wonho’s shoulder. He groaned and fell onto his knees from the unexpected impact.

She took the opportunity to run when he grabbed her leg and pulled so hard she slipped. She cried out when the hard asphalt hit her back. She kicked him in the shoulder where she stabbed him, he reared back and started laughing.

“Wow! You are way more impressive than I thought,” he said.

This man was absolutely crazy. She gave him an incredulous look and then he became serious, reaching for her throat. She grabbed the nail sticking out of his shoulder and pushed it deeper through his flesh. His breath became laboured while she struggled for air through his tight grip.

Then a shot rang through the air, they both stopped. It was the man in chains, Phil, who pointed a large shotgun in their direction.

“Caught you right in the act, kids these days…”


	7. Chapter 7

Tap…..tap…..tap….

A sharp grating sound echoed through the air. She climbed through the thick folds of her mind into consciousness. Her head felt so heavy she could barely move. The paralysis only lasted for so long until she realized the state of her body. She was laying on a cool tile floor, face down with a handcuff around her ankle. The other end of it was attached to a pipe on the wall. She lifted her head and propped herself up into a sitting position.

It was a fairly small sized room, more like a den of some sort. A single incandescent bulb suspended from the ceiling emitted a low burning light that covered the room in an orange tinge. She tried pulling her leg but it was no use.

“Try cutting off your foot, I’ve always wanted to see if someone could do that,” a familiar voice said from the opposite corner.

She barely even noticed him at first, as her senses slowly came back to life. To make a bad situation worse, there was Wonho, sitting in the corner of the room, with both his hands cuffed behind his back, chained to a support beam. She glared at him and noticed the nail was still lodged in his shoulder. An involuntary burst of satisfaction made her smile.

He glanced at his shoulder. “You’re a damn psycho, laughing at my condition like this,“ he said.

"You should have killed me,” Vy said through gritted teeth, “because once we get out of this, I’m going to kill you.”

His jaw dropped, mocking her. “And I thought you were a nice girl…and that’s an if we get out of this.”

“What makes you think we won’t?”

The door opened with a deafening screech and Phil walked in, his chains jingled with each step.

Phil walked over to Wonho and leaned in close, barely touching the nail in his shoulder, “Quite irksome eh? You don’t look so good at all…”

Wonho gave him a wide smile, “I just missed you Phil!”

Vy scowled at his comment, how arrogant. It was when she glanced closer, however, that she noticed the oddities in his expression. His skin was sallow and bloodless, there was a strain to every breath he took. In fact he looked incredibly sick.

Phil laid a hard punch across Wonho's face, the sound made her wince. His head rolled around for a second until he recovered and spat blood on the ground. His blood stained smile still managed to come through.

“You deserve so much more than this. But for now let’s just see what your guy can hook up,” said Phil.

That’s when Wonho straightened up, “what do you mean?”

Phil turned away to face Vy, “Now you missy, you’ve been very interesting. If anything, you’re still alive cause you stabbed that shit.” He pointed behind him with a smile.

With an odd gleam in his eye, he squatted in front of Vy and put on an almost kind expression. “Now, I’m gonna guess here, you don’t like him, and he doesn’t like you. Yet, his comrade at the tracks was more worried about you, so that makes me believe you have some value. To be clear, I want you tell me all you know about his little crew, and I will let you go no strings. How about that?” He smiled at her.

Wonho shook against the pole, “She doesn’t know shit, just kill her already!”

Phil called one of his men to grab Wonho and take him out of the room. Once taken, he returned back to Vy, waiting for an answer.

She looked him right in the eyes and said, “no.”

“No? Didn’t you hear what he just said, he wants me to kill you, now why on earth would you protect them when they want you six feet in the ground?”

She said nothing, there was nothing to say. He grabbed her face roughly and made her look up at him.

“This won’t getting any better sweetheart, and it’s your own fault, remember that.”

With that he walked out of the room and someone else walked in. Another lackey she assumed. He was slightly younger but just as off putting. The man cracked his knuckles and asked her various questions. About the guys’ routines, how many of them there were, where they lived, and how they operated. To which she shrugged and said she did not know.

After the first round, the man back handed her. It stung on her cheek so she reached up a hand to protect her face. Then he grabbed a handful of hair and pulled her up on her feet. He asked more questions and she still did not respond. He punched her in the gut, this one she did not expect and had to keel over in massive pain.

That was when he left the room and shut the door. She clutched her stomach and groaned, feeling like throwing up.

It felt as though a couple hours had passed when the door opened again, it was the same man. He brought water to drink. After the next series of questions and a lack of response he punched her in the face. Black dots filled the air and her head snapped back from the impact.

“What the hells wrong with you? Making me hit a girl like this, just give up already,” he said.

After a few more punches and she was left alone again. More time passed as she felt her face slowly swell up. The pain had become numbing, it was all she could feel. She wondered if she would die like this. Minhyuk popped up in her mind, the part of her feeling physical pain hated everything about meeting him, but the real part of her wished to see him more than anything else.

The door opened and the same man came back, he carried a string of keys with him. “Looks like you’re getting an upgrade, I had hoped we could do this the easy way but…”

He trailed off and picked her up. She had to lean on his shoulder as her leg went numb from sitting on the floor for so long, her feet dragged.

The hallway was just as dim as the room, she then wondered where they held Wonho. Perhaps they were torturing him too, it was the only thought that brought her some semblance of joy.

Just as she had thought of him, he appeared around the corner, chained up by the arms. He caught her eye in passing and gave a look she did not recognize. As if he was surprised to see her at all. Perhaps he hoped that she had died already.

When they reached the new room, the man sat her in a chair and tied her to it. There was a table beside her with a malicious collection of knives, ranging in size and serration. Her heart sped up and she worried about what else they might do. At this point she felt no matter what she said they would have to kill her anyway.

He looked at her apologetically, “I really hate when they make me do this, can you please just give me something?”

She sighed and shook her head. “Look I really don’t know anything.”

The man slammed his hand on the table and picked up a small sharp tool. He put his other hand at the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath. Her breath quickened when he brought the tool close to the tip of her finger.

She braced herself mentally for the pain when the door opened and he stopped. It was Phil.

“Looks like it’s your lucky day.”

She was escorted out of the room by Phil and taken outside, it was a different area of the tracks but she recognized the iron framing. Wonho stood by a cement pillar with an armed man beside him. He saw her and looked away. She wondered if they were being taken out back to be killed.

A familiar silver truck pulled up and her heart skipped a beat. When it got close enough she noticed that it was Shownu, her spirits slightly lowered, though she was still relieved to see him. Jooheon sat in the passenger seat and immediately jumped up when he saw Vy.

Shownu said something to Jooheon before getting out of the car. He carried a duffle bag with him, “Here’s your money, now let them go.”

Phil pushed her along towards the truck while Wonho was brought beside her. He was haggard and looked like he would pass out at any moment. His sickly skin was sweating profusely and he could no longer stand up straight. He glanced in her direction but quickly looked away.

She was pushed forward and then Phil yelled from behind her, “Is that all of it?”

Shownu nodded stiffly, “Yes the whole fifty grand.”

She heard Phil exhale cooly, “Oh, so here’s the problem, it was fifty for each of them, looks like you only get one.”

Wonho was shoved forward onto his knees and Phil put his arm around Vy forcing her backwards. She panicked and realized that they were going to keep her, tears fell from her face. If they drove away now she would most likely never see the light of day again.

Shownu stepped forward and put a hand at his back pocket, “Phil, I’m not messing around today, take the money and give me them both.”

“You might wanna figure out this situation before you draw that gun boy,” Phil said.

A group of his men came from the tunnels, all armed with assorted hand guns. Vy looked all around her, searching for options, but there was only one way. She could not idly stand by and be taken again. She took a deep breath and attempted to clear her mind, her heart froze over. Clenching her jaw she stepped backwards as hard as she could and bit into Phil’s arm. He screamed and pushed her off of him, she fell to the ground near Wonho.

“You fucking bitch!” He went to draw his gun and aimed it at Vy.

A gunshot echoed through the air.


	8. Chapter 8

A gunshot echoed through the air.

Vy felt a heavy body fall on top of her as she landed on her back. She looked up to see two fading eyes in front of her, it was Wonho. He looked at her with a pained smile, his whole body was rigid as steel on top of her. She looked at him in complete awe until she noticed his arm bleeding. What had he done?

“I’m sorry,” was all he said when he lifted himself off her and jumped on Phil.

Shownu grabbed his gun and Jooheon ran out of the car. Jooheon had a gun in his hands and the shootout began. Wonho and Phil were wrestling in the middle while Vy attempted to get up.

Jooheon shouted to her, “stay low! I’m coming for you!”

She could barely hear over the sound of guns, the truck was used as cover, tiny holes formed all over it. She laid low and turned to Wonho. He had Phil in a headlock and was reaching for the gun that was dropped. She saw where it was. Wonho looked like he was on his last ounce of strength, she wondered why he let himself get shot. His arm was covered in blood from the bullet. She did not understand, but when she saw Wonho get overtaken by Phil, she crawled to the gun and took it.

Before Phil could stab Wonho, Vy pulled the trigger. Phil clutched his abdomen and glared at her. He got up and ran to her, she struggled to cock the gun again. He was almost upon her when Wonho reached behind him, took his knife, and slit his throat. Blood sprayed everywhere and on her clothes. Phil dropped to the ground and Wonho gave Vy a long look. He then collapsed.

Jooheon was there within seconds and grasped Vy by the shoulders, “are you okay? Let’s get to the car!”

“I’m fine, it’s okay. Help me get him up, he’s passed out,” she pointed at Wonho.

They grabbed him while Shownu covered for them. They put Wonho in the back and Vy decided to stay with him despite Jooheon’s protests. Shots were being fired but the car started with a roar and they sped off as fast as they could.

She took a deep breath when they were far enough away. Fortunately, nobody followed them from what she could notice. She then turned to Wonho. His head was rocking violently on the metal so she took it and put in on her lap. She felt for a pulse and though it was weak it was there.

His face was sickly and pale while his hair was greasy and dirty. Somehow he still managed to retain an arrogant allure. She pushed the hair out of his face when his hand reached up to hers. It scared her at first but he just held it to his face, it was then that his eyes opened slowly.

“Wonho? Are you here with me, I need you to stay awake ok?” She said.

He looked at her in a dreamy state and smiled, he moved his hand to her face and stroked it softly.

She stayed absolutely still, not realizing he was capable of such tenderness. The whole time she was with him he had a violent rage and hatred towards her, but seeing him in this vulnerable state was...interesting.

“You must be so out of it…" She said under her breath.

They took a roundabout way back but Shownu did not waste too much time on the road due to Wonho’s condition. When they pulled up, Shownu and Jooheon carried him inside, Vy followed. They took him to a place on the second floor that was setup as some sort of infirmary. There was a man there, sitting by the bed and they put Wonho on it.

“He needs treatment right away, first we have to take out that nail, you said he was shot as well?” The man said.

Shownu gave him a vague description of Wonho getting shot, no specific details were slipped out.

“I need to know when he was stabbed and how long he’s had this nail in his body, it could be infected.”

Shownu and Jooheon looked at each other and shrugged, that was when Vy stepped up, “I can tell you, I was with him most of the time.”

“Hmm, looks like you need treatment too, stay here and let me work on him first, then I’ll get to you, you can sit in that bed over over. Other two, get out, and get Kihyun, I need his assistance.”

She sat on the bed as instructed and removed her shoes. When Kihyun arrived, they worked on Wonho, they cut off his shirt and cleaned his torso before dealing with the nail. His skin had gone a terrible tinge of red and purple near the wound, she felt a small pang of guilt about it. When they worked on his shoulder Vy had to look away, it was disgusting. There was blood spilling on the floor and she could only take so much of it. 

Once she started settling down she began to feel intense pain. Her whole body was sore and her face felt like it was going to fall off. She had no idea what she looked like and was comfortable with not looking in a mirror for a long time. There was a taste of blood in her dry mouth that made her nauseated.

A loud groan startled her, it was Wonho. He had regained some form of consciousness from the pain of the bullet being removed from his arm. He thrashed around as Kihyun held him down while the doctor removed the bullet. He was given a needle after they sterilized the area.

“Okay the stitches are done, you can dress him while I go check on her,” the doctor said.

He came over to her and she sat up. He gave her a quick look over and asked her several questions, checking her blood pressure and senses. Suddenly she was taken back to her childhood physician and this was all just a bad dream. A part of her wondered when she would get the lollipop. Instead of candy he gave her some water and pills to take that were for the pain and told her to ice her face to bring down the swelling.

When the doctor left, Kihyun went to get the ice for her. She watched him intently when he prepared it and brought it to her. He sat beside her and brought it up to her face, she flinched away from him.

He clicked his tongue, “You’ve been through alot in the past few days and you’re probably quite scared. It’s okay, you’re safe now. I won’t hurt you either, I promise. I’m sorry you had to see me that way,” he said.

It amazed her that this was the same man who shot John dead in his apartment, they felt worlds apart. His pink hair looked incredibly soft in the light streaming in from the windows, it was soothing to look at.

She let him ice her face for a few minutes, then he laid her down and got her a blanket, “you can get cleaned up after you rest a bit.”

She was about to protest about cleaning up later when the medication kicked in and suddenly an entire world of drowsiness came upon her. Her body sunk into the bed and Kihyun set the blanket on top of her. His face looking down at her was the last thing she saw before sleep took over.

*************

Her eyes opened in the dark, there was the soft hum of a fan going. The air was hypnotizing and dreamy she thought of closing her eyes again. But the pain gradually woke her up, the left side of her face was throbbing again and she began to smell the blood off her clothes. There was a small lamp by her bed which she turned on, the room was empty save for Wonho in the bed across from her. She got up and went over to him.

He looked slightly better since they had worked on him, though she was not sure of how long it had been. Gradually colour returned to his skin, but she was sure he must have lost a lot of blood. She sat beside him and stared, he looked almost childlike in this state. The blue tips of his hair fell to the sides revealing his temples and ears. Multiple earrings hung from them while his nose piercing glinted in the low light.

She rested her head in her hands and observed his breathing, he was so intent on killing her, however, he then saved her life. It was all so strange. There was a tiny spot of blood on his cheek, so she leaned over him to wipe it with her thumb. His skin was incredibly smooth to the touch despite how much he had gone through. When she finished and was about to step away, he reached up, eyes still closed, and grabbed her hand. His other hand cupped the back of her head and pressed her face to his. Her heart raced as she felt his lips against hers, they were so soft and warm. He kissed her with a delicate urgency and she froze in his gentle grip.

Butterflies erupted in her stomach when he stopped with a dreamy sigh, his eyes were half open and she knew he was barely there. “I love you Chae Soo…”

She quickly backed up when he let her go and ran back to her bed. Her hand went up to her mouth, she could still feel the warmth of his lips.


	9. Chapter 9

She woke with a start, the sun gleamed in her eyes causing temporary blindness. Her hand reached for the table to grab her pills but she accidentally pushed the bottle and it rattled to the floor.

A husky sound filled the room. She looked up and saw Wonho, sitting up and laughing at her.

“Wow you look like shit…” he said.

She looked away from him, unable to meet his eyes. All she could picture was the kiss, she had hoped it was just some drug induced dream. Her lips trembled at the thought. She shook her head violently.

“Woah what’s wrong with you, relax…I was just kidding,” he paused then and then looked down, “I’m sorry, for what I did to you, what I tried to do.”

Vy listened to his words carefully and wished she could punch him in the face or yell at him. She said, “why did you let yourself get shot? I thought you wanted me dead.”

He glanced around the room uncertain of how to respond. His hands were gripping the sides of the bed. “I just don’t trust strangers, and that’s how you survive in this field. But then when I saw you get so beat up and still not say anything about us…I realized I should give you the benefit of the doubt.”

She scoffed for a second not quite sure what she was expecting. “Benefit of the doubt? Almost getting killed and that’s what I get?”

“What else do you want, we kiss and make-up?”

Her eyes snapped forward, blazing and anxious. Her heart rate increased exponentially. “What?”

“Look, I’m sorry about hurting you okay? This entire thing was my fault,” he said gesturing around the room and at himself.

She looked at his wounds and felt a familiar pang of guilt, “well you tried to kill me and I almost killed you, we can call it even.”

“Woah let’s not get ahead of ourselves, you didn’t almost kill me, you tried,” he said and they both laughed about it when the door opened swiftly.

It was Minhyuk.

He ran up to Vy and knelt in front of her. She smiled when she saw the helplessly worried expression on his face. She got up off the bed and they embraced. His familiar scent was comforting and she felt the tension pop like a balloon.

“Vy I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry, I knew I shouldn’t have left you, I should’ve stayed…” he was frantically stroking her head in his arms, she had to push him slightly when he squeezed too hard.

Suddenly he stopped and turned to Wonho, his expression went from sweet to boiling with rage. “What the fuck did you do to her?” He was about to storm over when Vy stopped him.

“He didn’t do anything, he was going to help me, but then we ran into a bad gang…and he ended up saving my life.”

Wonho was caught off guard by her statement and choked. She caught Wonho’s eye and silently mouthed ‘you’re welcome’. He smirked in response.

Minhyuk curiously looked between the two, then sat beside Vy and put his arm around her. She leaned into him and closed her eyes.

“Did you just get back?” She said.

“Yes, Jooheon told me everything that happened…” he paused for a while, rubbing her arm, “Shownu wants to meet with you in private when you’re able.”

She watched him fidget with his fingers and felt her heart clench. He looked so sweet the way he stormed in looking so worried. It was enough to make her squeeze his hand and smile up at him. He gently grazed the swollen portion of her face, his expression was not filled with pity or disgust, but with empathy.

“I can go anytime to see him, once I take my painkillers,” Vy said.

Minhyuk saw them on the floor and quickly retrieved the bottle for her, then he ran to grab her a fresh glass of water.

“Hey how about I get some of this room service too?” Wonho said.

Minhyuk glared at Wonho and handed her the glass. He put her back in bed, covering her with the blanket and said he would come back later. She felt lips on her forehead and blushed.

When he left she sat there wondering about when she should see Shownu. She had not talked to him since the violent encounter at the tracks and was slightly worried about what he would say…or do.

“I know what Shownu wants,” Wonho said.

She glanced up at him straightening his sheets. Somehow no matter what condition he was in, there was a gracefulness to his motions. 

“How do you know?” She said.

“It’s what I would do, since I didn’t kill you,” he said with a smile.

She rolled her eyes. “What exactly would you do?”

“Tally your debts…”

****************

She was put off slightly by Wonho’s cryptic words but that did nothing to scare her away from Shownu’s office. It was on the main floor at the end of the hall. She knocked on the door and was called inside.

He sat at a large mahogany desk with piles of paper and folders stacked in a neat row. The room was well sized for an office, there was a casual sitting area with a couple of couches and a coffee table. He gestured for her to sit down.

“How are you feeling?” He said.

“I’m okay, the doctor gave me good medication, and I’ve been icing my face too. Thank you…for helping me, and saving my life.”

“I’m glad to hear that you’re okay, though you sound surprisingly nonchalant given the circumstances. Most people would have gone crazy at this point, or cracked in some way or another. You even resisted torture,” he went on to say. She was about to interrupt him, asking how he knew but he continued, “Wonho told me everything. He admitted in trying to conspire to kill you and that he’s the reason I’m down fifty grand. He also told me that Phil got someone to torture you but for some reason you didn’t say anything to them.”

She sat frozen in her seat, had Wonho truly vouched for her like that? He acted so dismissive about everything, but clearly he paid more attention to detail than he let on.

Shownu continued to speak, “I’m going to be frank here so listen carefully, before yesterday’s events, you had many chances to leave and start a life etcetera etcetera. Now, looking from a law point of view, you have dealt with and been an accessory to organized crime and attempted homicide, twice. From our point of view, you have assisted in killing Phil, a higher up sector manager of the 215 Chain crew, they will want revenge as they are already not our greatest allies. What I’m saying is that, whatever options you had, are gone. We’re also out fifty grand because of you and Wonho, and someone will take notice of that, someone who doesn’t care about you or me.”

It was a lot to take in, Shownu got up and brought her a cup of tea. The smell was subtle and minty, she inhaled deeply and tried to hold it together. She wanted to get up and run away but he was right. Her options had ended the moment she stepped into their apartment. She took a deep breath and looked up at him.

“What should I do?”

Shownu came around the table and leaned on it in front of her, “You’re lucky to even have this option Vy, I would have sent you to the factories to work until you paid your debt, but there’s something better than that. You have potential, I see that now, there is much more to you than meets the eye, and I think we could use that.”

Vy looked at him unsure of what he was saying, “What exactly do you want from me?”

“I want you to join the team, you’ll need to be trained of course, but I have a feeling you will become a valuable asset. This is your best option, so answer carefully.”

She that there staring into space. Her, joining their gang. It was impossible, how her life ended up in this moment she did not know. The most frustrating part, however, was that he was right about everything. She did almost kill Wonho and she shot Phil, those were all impulsive decisions she made in the moment and did not look back on to reflect. When she thought about it though, she realized how much she had changed since she left home. With an uncertain feeling she decided.

“I’ll do it,” she said.

Shownu smiled at this for a brief moment then became serious, “You better not mess this up Vy, it’s not only your neck on the line. For now, get better and I will get back to you on where we go from here.”

She nodded vigorously and promised him she would do her best. He escorted her to the door in a gentlemanly fashion. She was half way through the hallway when Shownu called her name, she turned around to see his head poke out the door.

“One last thing, welcome to The Clan.”


	10. Chapter 10

A few days had passed since she had talked with Shownu and made her decision. Vy had graduated from the infirmary and gotten her own room, she no longer had to reside in Minhyuk’s place. However, it was on the same floor as Minhyuk, only a couple doors down.

She sat in her little studio and stared up at the ceiling while lying in bed. It felt as though a heavy weight sat in the bottom of of her stomach. The weight followed her wherever she went, when she ate, when she bathed, and when she tried to distract herself. The only solace was sleep but even then she had nightmares about being wrapped in chains to the point of asphyxiation.

Her breathing slowed and she blinked repeatedly. She rubbed her eyes and moaned at the lovely feeling. Then she got too carried away and pushed too hard on the side that was healing. She winced though the bruising had gotten better over a few days. The air had a comforting smell to it like new wood. She was at peace knowing there was a private place all to herself.

A knock sounded at the door, her body felt it weighed thousands of pounds. She managed to get up and look through the eye hole. There was no one in the hallway. She opened the door to see a pile of books with a note left on it. It was from Shownu, a bit of light reading on the history of the city and criminal investigation. She was intrigued that her first assignment was to read textbooks. He also wrote that her real training would begin in two days.

The words ‘two days’ popped out of the page and seemed to slap her in the face. What would her parents think of her now. She had barely thought of her father since the day she left. Her mother, that was something she chose to ignore. Each time she thought about the choice she made, she wondered what in the hell she was thinking. However, it felt far too late.

She sighed as she put the books on her nightstand and cracked one open.

******************

The two days had passed quickly and she woke up early to visit Shownu for her training to begin. Anxiety bubbled in her chest and she felt each step drag on the ground, but somehow she managed to get dressed and walk down the long hallway.

An arm blocked her path suddenly, it was Minhyuk. He gazed at her with a soft expression.

“What’s going on Vy? You haven’t said much to me since you spoke with Shownu.”

She looked at her feet in response, somehow she could not bring herself to tell him yet. “I’m alright, I’ve been really tired so I just needed some quiet time.”

His eyes gained animation, “don’t worry, I’m going to get you out of here, just like we talked about before any of this began. I think I found a place too, it’s outside of the city, you’ll be safer that way…”

She had to interrupt, “Minhyuk, stop, I really appreciate everything you’ve done for me. But right now I need you to not worry about me, just trust me. Let’s talk tomorrow, and we can discuss everything. Okay?”

Before he had the chance to reply she walked away from him. Her heart sank at the way she ended the conversation but it was the only way she could stall him. She had a sinking feeling that Minhyuk would not approve of her choice.

She reached Shownu’s office and knocked on the door. He was making tea when she walked in.

“I’m ready to begin my training, when do we start?” Said Vy.

He placed three cups on the table and glanced up at her, “oh I won’t be training you.” He laughed at the puzzled look on her face.

Then another knock sounded at the door and Wonho walked in. She had not seen him in days as he had to stay in the infirmary longer due to the extent of his injuries. He looked much better than the last time she saw him, his arm was now in a sling and he looked more mobile. The weight in her stomach increased exponentially when she realized what Shownu was implying.

“Him?” She said.

Wonho looked confused at her sudden outburst, “why is she here, why did you call me?

Shownu passed them both a cup of tea and went around to his chair to sit down. He gestured for them to do the same. Vy was too shocked to say anything. She sat down and gulped down the uncomfortably hot tea. It burned her tongue but she could not stop sipping.

"I’m sure you’ve guessed, I’ve added up Vy’s debt and it comes to quite the number. But she’s too talented to send away, I decided to let her stay. She’s to be trained and mentored until she’s ready,” Shownu said.

With each word Wonho looked more tense until he pounded his fist on the table when Shownu finished, “Are you fucking kidding me? She is not, nor will she ever be one of us! What were you thinking Shownu?”

Vy froze at Wonho’s aggressive behaviour, she was afraid of what Shownu might do. Shownu’s expression was blank, he merely looked at Wonho with a calm collected face.

“She will be one of us, and it’s your job to make sure she gets there.”

A pregnant silence filled the air.

“What?” Wonho said.

“You are to be her trainer and mentor, you’re getting pulled off all assignments until your injuries heal completely. You’re my best man and happen to be free for the next while, so the situation presented itself.”

“Fuck that!” Wonho said. He was about to storm off when Shownu got up.

“Wonho, you cost me fifty grand, endangered Jooheon’s life, and created a potential war with the Chain Crew, all because you couldn’t follow my orders. So either take the assignments I give you now or this isn’t going to work.”

They stared at one another for a long time. Vy could almost hear the crackling energy between them. Shownu continued to look calm and collected while Wonho’s hands balled into fists. Wonho was the first to break away, he turned around and slammed the door behind him.

Vy stared at the closed door and sat there frozen. Shownu seemed to forget she was still there when he whispered to himself, “he could do so much more…“

She pretended to not notice.

"Looks like your new teacher might need some convincing. Make this work Vy. I know he’s quite rough…all over, but trust me, he’s actually the best guide you could hope for.”

A smile was forced on her lips as she nodded, though internally she rolled her eyes at his statement. “It looks like he wants to kill someone right now, perhaps I should wait a bit before going to him.”

Shownu laughed and shook his head, “That’s just his pissed off expression, don’t worry about it, and don’t let him push you around too much. He’s a lot of talk.”

She was practically thrown to the wolves when Shownu guided her out of his office. He shut the door behind her and she just stood there motionless. Her body wanted to run to the staircase and lock herself in her room. Instead she took a deep breath and sought out her potential killer.

He was outside, at the back of the building, leaning against the wall by the door. She jumped when she saw him appear out of nowhere.

“This is never going to work, I don’t know why the hell Shownu thinks it will. Sometimes it seems like he wants to lose his job,” Wonho said. He looked her up and down slowly.

It made her uncomfortable and she crossed her arms, “Look I don’t know why either, but he’s your boss right? So let’s just do this.”

“Let’s just do this eh,” he said and started laughing, “you think this is some three week crossfit program? That this is going to be even remotely easy?”

He walked up to her and pushed her against the wall, he leaned against the cool wall directly in front of her. His face was so close she could feel the breath of his words. Her heart began to race without a thought.

“You think that taking a few punches makes you ready for this life? You have absolutely no idea what deal you just made, you’re better off at the factories. Trust me.”

His eyes were unyielding, they penetrated into her and she had to look away. She said, “There’s no decision we make where the outcome is completely foreseeable, we just keep making choices and deal with the consequences,” Vy stood taller and looked him in the eye, "I’m not going to run away from mine. So let’s do this.”

He scoffed at her words and started walking away. She felt the pressure peel off her body with each step he took.

“Whatever, it’s your funeral. Follow me.”


	11. Chapter 11

The skies were clear and it was a bright day, the sun shone without interruption. The temperature was slightly chilly but warm in the light. A crisp wind wavered in the air in small bursts, the leaves rippled across the trees.

She followed Wonho away from the apartment building and down a cement path. He led the way several feet ahead of her without a single word. She almost had to jog to keep up with him.

His blonde hair practically glowed in the sunlight and flowed in the breeze caused by his pace. Faded bits of blue peeked through the blonde.

Her thoughts then drifted to Minhyuk and her heart sank a bit. Thinking of telling him about everything caused the knot in her belly to tighten. She shook it off and marched on forward.

They entered a grove of tall trees which she was surprised to see in such an industrial area. The leaves were a rich bold green and looked nothing like the scraggly deciduous garbage in the city.

“What is this place? It’s really beautiful,” Vy said.

Wonho smirked. “It’s my little spot, I found it a few years ago, past these trees there’s a good sized field where I like to train,” he said.

They walked past the trees and she saw a vast green field surrounded by a chain link fence.

“Is that a playground?” She said, peering in the distance at metallic looking objects.

“What the hell? No! It’s an outdoor gym, that yours truly built,” he said with a wide smile.

“So we’ll be working out today I assume.”

“You will, I’m still injured, remember?” A familiar devilish smile appeared on his lips.

Hours had passed and she felt like throwing up. Her arms burned and and her legs started to feel like jelly. She was climbing a rope when her right hand could no longer grip anything. She felt a small tremor begin from her bicep to shoulder, it then propagated into large volatile tremors that cause her hand to just let go.

She lost her footing on the rope and fell on her back. A fit of coughs erupted from her throat and echoed in her lungs. She stayed down and closed her eyes.

“You’re already tired, wow this is going to be a slow and painful death. For me. Get up, we’re done for today,” Wonho said.

She scowled and mustered up the energy to get up on her feet. After a few steps her legs gave way and she fell. Wonho still walked away though she knew he must have heard her.

After multiple attempts at walking she finally succeeded at passing the new born calf phase. Only when she fell on the cement and scraped her leg did she curse aloud. She was certain she heard Wonho laugh in the distance. He did not look back once. Perhaps he still hoped she might die soon.

When they got back to the apartment she was about to head up the stairs when her legs gave way again and would not allow her body up the stairs. She almost fell back when an arm caught her mid way. Wonho looked at her with an impatient expression. She blushed at the proximity of his face.

“What’s going on? Vy are you okay?” Another person entered the stairwell.

It was Minhyuk, he approached them with a guarded look. Vy felt embarrassed and pushed Wonho away, her legs shook violently and she had to put her arm on the railing to keep her balance.

“Guess I was too hard on Vy today, don’t worry babe, you’ll get used to it,” Wonho smirked wickedly at Vy and bit his bottom lip, “Meet me at the same place tomorrow before sunrise.”

Minhyuk’s expression went red and he looked away for a moment. Vy suddenly realized Wonho’s wordplay.

“Oh my god what is wrong with you? Minhyuk, he was just training me, I went too hard during the climbing and now my legs are absolutely done.”

Wonho laughed and walked away patting Minhyuk on the shoulder. Minhyuk’s face relaxed a little bit but the confusion remained. Vy attempted to climb a step and thought to limp her way up.

Suddenly her legs were swept up from under her and she was in Minhyuk’s arms. He held her close and climbed the stairs without a word. her lips felt heavy and she could not say a thing, she just rested her head on his shoulder and inhaled his warm scent.

When they got to the door he set her down and began to walk away. She reached out and grabbed his hand. When they were inside she shut the door and made him sit down on the edge of the bed.

“Okay, clearly you know something is up and I’m here to tell you. I wasn’t ready this morning, I don’t feel super ready now. But it can’t wait any more. When Shownu spoke with me, it wasn’t just about paying him back or where to escape. He wants me to train to work my debts away. And I know you might be mad that I agreed to this, but in that moment all I could think was that this is the only opportunity I have ever gotten because someone saw something in me. I’m good at fuck all, I’ve never been passionate about anything. I sure as hell don’t know what I’m doing right now, but this is better than running away to an empty unknown future of hiding.” She panted a little after her speech and had to sit down when the nerves settled.

Minhyuk was silent for a while, he stared at the floor then glanced up at her, “I’m not mad Vy.”

She looked at him with wide eyes as her tense shoulders relaxed.

“You’re a grown woman, I have no right to tell you what to do. I’m not particularly happy that you chose this…career, and maybe I thought we had enough trust between us that you might want to consult with me before you decided. But all that aside, if this means you’ll be a door away from me, how much can I really complain? Other than Wonho being the one to train you.”

Her eyes were slightly glassy as she laughed. “That makes two of us.”

She was so ecstatic at his acceptance that she smiled widely and went in to hug him. Then her muscles jerked uncontrollably and she tripped and accidentally pushed him down onto the bed, landing on his chest.

She winced and lifted her head to apologize when she saw him only inches away, staring at her. His lips were parted and he lifted a hand to her face. She could not look away, his brown locks framed his features in waves and his pale skin shone in the light.

His hand felt cool on her face which she knew was flaming hot. She felt the heat coming off of it, her body could feel every muscle on his, and it was tense. He stroked her face with a sweet tenderness. The look in his eyes was gentle. As he always was with her.

He leaned in closer and her heart began to pound in her ears. She felt her body react and leaned her head towards him. Her eyes began to close when he was only a breathe away.

His lips were smooth and warm, they moved against hers softly. She realized how badly she wanted to do this only when it was happening. A sudden need popped open in her heart and her face moved closer to his. He moaned quietly at her movements and wrapped his arms around her. She adjusted her body and straddled his hips. Their kiss became heated in seconds. Minhyuk reached the back of her head with one hand and stroked her hair while he rubbed her lower back with the other hand. She was lost in his lips. His tongue lightly brushed her lower lip and she could barely contain the urges that erupted in her body.

To her dismay tremors spurred through her arms as she supported herself on top of him. First they were small but then the bed vibrated below them. Minhyuk laughed between their kisses.

“I think it’s time you rested,” he said.

She frowned and rolled over onto her side, “but we were having fun…”

“Perhaps we can pick this up when you feel up for it,” he said with a twinkle in his eye.

She looked away and smiled. Her heart might just have exploded with all the fireworks going off.


	12. Chapter 12

“Ahhhhhhh!” The fire in her arms burned through her neck and shoulders. She cried out and did her best to bring the barbell down.

Hands emerged from above her to catch it when she brought it back up. With her last set finished, she closed her eyes and flopped her arms down.

“Tired already? It’s only been a couple of weeks. You’re not even close to where you need to be,” said the arrogant voice that drove her crazy.

“I’m doing better than you’re letting on, thanks for the pep talk though,” she said.

Wonho laughed and threw her a water bottle. Her training had been intense and increased in level each day. She had spent every single morning and afternoon with him working out, sometimes he would demand she come in the evening. It was rigorous and annoying, but she knew it was her job now.

“We’re going to start something new after the weekend. You can take a day off, I’ve got some things to take care of,” Wonho said.

Her jaw dropped, “seriously? I can take time off? Is the world ending…”

He smirked at her response. “You think I’m too hard on you?”

She came up with a witty retort but stopped to think. “I think that you care about bringing your best to the table, and that’s what you’re trying to do now. I know you didn’t even want to waste your time with me but you’re still doing that too. And not being a complete asshole about it, so thank you.”

He seemed to have expected a different answer. He went silent for a moment then back to his joking demeanour, “clearly I’m going way too easy then. You’re not doing as shitty as I thought you would. But we got a long way to go.”

She smiled at the first ever compliment from him. He looked away bashfully and it seemed as though she uncovered a completely different side.

Unexpectedly the words slipped out of her mouth, “Who’s Chae Soo?”

She knew right away she should not have said it, his body immediately tensed up and his face contorted into sudden rage.

“Who the fuck told you that name?”

She regretted her question and was scared of what to say. “I-I just heard you say it in your sleep at the infirmary once…that’s all…”

His eyes were full of hatred and she was unsure if it was towards her or not. “Don’t ever mention that name again. And we’re done.”

She wanted to plead for forgiveness but knew it was time to leave. He stormed off towards the edge of the field. The corded muscles in his arms flexed as he balled his fists and tried to contain his rage. She hoped he was not being serious about being finished. Regret piled on her with each step.

Minhyuk waited for her when she was back inside, “Hey, are you okay?”

She explained the situation between her and Wonho. When she mentioned the name Chae Soo, Minhyuk went silent.

“Do you know who she is?” Vy said.

He led her back to her room and shut the door. “We don’t talk about her, she was Wonho’s girlfriend.” His voice tensed up when he spoke, “they had a really bad breakup, she betrayed him in almost every way possible.”

The guilt set in strong. There they were finally getting on better terms and then she ruined it in one sentence.

“He said that we’re done, he was really mad,” she said.

Minhyuk laughed a little, “he’s always mad.”

“No but this was different, I don’t think he’s over it, it felt like I just ripped a scab off or something. Why am I so dumb…”

“Hey, relax, he’s just a hothead. Give him time, it’ll be fine. Best case you have some time off to hang out with me…”

She looked up at him and smiled, he held her chin and kissed her softly. They had been meeting regularly after her sessions with Wonho. Every time she looked at him her heart both settled down and ran wild. A perfectly comfortable chaos.

The next day she went downstairs to the main kitchen to grab coffee. The smell of a fresh pot caught her nose and made her senses whirl. The sun was barely out and the sky was a clear navy blue. She had gotten so used to waking up early it had become routine and her body automatically rose before the sun now.

There was someone in the kitchen already, her heart stopped and she prayed it was not Wonho. She did not wish to begin her day receiving a scornful glare.

“Hey Vy!”

It was Jooheon, his dimples grew deeper when she smiled at him.

“Good morning, I didn’t know you woke up so early,” Vy said.

“No…I’m actually heading to bed soon,” he said.

She raised her brows and laughed. “Do I even want to know?”

Then Wonho walked into the kitchen. He no longer had the sling on his arm and stood straighter. She looked away from him but he came straight for her. Her body began sweating in fear of what he might do or say. He simply grabbed her hand and dragged her out of the kitchen.

Jooheon was about to protest when Wonho gave a different look and shook his head, “Mr. Kim is here.”

Vy was confused as to who Mr. Kim was and why Wonho was grabbing her. She stopped him before they got to the stairs, “what are you doing? One day my training is over and now you’re dragging me around?”

“Shut up Vy, just listen to me for once and go up to my room. Please.”

His face held no hatred or ill will, it was almost worried. She could only comply and hope that he was back to normal. He handed her the key and urged her to move along.

She went up the stairs to his apartment and opened the door. Vy had never been in his room before, she ventured inside turning the lights on. There was an unmade bed covered with black sheets and a gray duvet. A nightstand stood beside the bed with a pair of large glasses on top of it.

After a long time of sitting on a chair and tapping her foot she began to pace. What was taking so long and why had he forced her to hide in his room. Why did she not just go back to her room.

She glanced through his bookshelf, the thought of him reading surprised her. Most of his collection contained the same types of folders and files Shownu had in his office but there were a few books. She noticed one on the bottom shelf in the corner, it looked out of place with its faded yellow cover. When she pulled it out, a piece of paper fell from one of the pages. She prayed it was not a bookmark that he would notice out of place.

The paper was a note that read:

This is my favourite book of all time. I want you to read it and think of me the days I’m gone.

It’s been an amazing two years with you. I couldn’t have asked for a better man, you are my life, my heart, my soul, my absolutely everything.

Always remember, we’re the only two people in the world.

I love you baby,

Soo

Aside from moderately throwing up she felt like a voyeur creeping into places she should not go. It was a very private note and Wonho would probably murder her if he knew she read it. A chill went down her spine at the thought. She heard chatter outside the door and dropped the book with a jump. Cursing, she quickly put the note and book back on the shelf.

There were footsteps outside in the hall and she crept up to the eye hole at the door to see three figures. One she knew was Wonho and the other was Shownu. The third she did not recognize, he was a smaller man in a suit. She assumed it to be the person Wonho was talking about, Mr. Kim.

Quietly she grabbed a glass and held it up to the door, she saw this being done in many movies. She smiled when the mumbling became fractionally more audible.

“You won’t invite me in today? And I thought you were the organized one Wonho. Tsk tsk. Well let’s see about this new recruit, have you guys done a background?”

She recognized Shownu’s voice, “We’ve performed all the required checks, she’s normal. I think she’ll be a good addition.”

“That’s what Wonho said about the last one, remember how that turned out for him!” The man started laughing. He was the only one that laughed. “Well you’ll have to introduce me to her soon, can’t hide from us forever you know…”

As they walked away their voices began to fade and disappear. She put the glass down on the counter and sat back down on the bed reviewing what she had heard. A yawn escaped her lips.

She was violently shook and gasped upon waking up. Wonho was above her with an annoyed look on his face.

“Please make yourself at home…” he said.

She yawned and blinked a few times. “Didn’t even realize I fell asleep, sorry.”

“You can leave now, he’s gone.”

He was about to walk into the bathroom when she said, “Wait! Who was that guy? And why did you make me hide from him?”

He gave an exaggerated sigh. “I’ll explain on Monday, now get out.”

She rolled her eyes at his concluding tone and walked out shutting the door behind her. He was as cold ever but she was glad that he mentioned a day to return to their training. A wave of relief washed over her.

When she got back to her floor she stopped at Minhyuk’s door. He let her in with a wide smile and open arms. She fell right into them.

“He said I start on Monday, so I think we’re cool now…” she said.

Minhyuk paused a moment to lean in and touch her forehead with his. “Well then, looks like we have the whole weekend to ourselves. Let’s go.”


	13. Chapter 13

The sun set as they drove along the highway. The trees passed in dark green blurs. Her eyes snapped to every building they drove by. It was a road she had never taken.

“Where are we going?” She said.

Minhyuk took her hand and squeezed it, “it’s a surprise.” His eyes remained steadily on the road.

Vy laughed and suddenly had a morbid thought. “What if you’re taking me out to kill me! What should I do…if there’s a shovel in the trunk I’m gonna be so mad.”

Minhyuk laughed and shook his head, “like I said, it’s a surprise.” He glanced at her quickly and winked.

After another twenty minutes on the road he pulled into a busy parking lot. She had closed her eyes for a while and enjoyed the radio until he stopped the car and tapped her shoulder. She looked out the window and saw a million bright lights just over a tall fence. There was a huge Ferris wheel popping out of the horizon and a tall roller coaster that she could just see the peak of.

“Are we at an amusement park?” She said.

He took her hand and led her to the entrance with a smile. “I don’t get much time off and I’ve been eyeing this place for a while, come on let’s go!”

They picked up the pace and ran into the park. Minhyuk was usually calm and collected but the childlike excitement in his face was something she had not seen before. He gazed at all the lights and led her to every food truck with passion. 

They sat at a bench eating a deep fried something, she had lost track of all the little samples of food Minhyuk had brought.

“If Wonho found out you’re feeding me this…” Vy said.

Minhyuk laughed. “We can keep it our little secret,” he said. He paused for a moment, chewing slowly on his food. “He really gives you a hard time doesn’t he…”

She was about to agree when she noticed Minhyuk’s expression, it was only for a moment but she saw a flare of anger, but it vanished as soon as she thought she saw it.

“It’s not as bad as you think, we’ve come a long way…” she said.

“He’s just really stubborn, after Soo came into the picture…well its never been the same since then,” Minhyuk looked into the distance.

Vy put a hand on his and squeezed it, “I’m sure if you give it enough time, things will return to normal.”

Their eyes met and Minhyuk stared into hers for a long time. She felt her heart speed up with each second. He then got up and led her to the Ferris wheel.

It was a chilly evening and when they got in the car Minhyuk put his arm around her. She smiled at him and leaned into his body. The car creaked upon its ascent and she jumped. He laughed and tightened his grip on her. Vy felt her face get warm despite the cold. Their car rose into the air and suddenly the whole park became so small. They stopped mid air and she soaked in the view.

“It’s so beautiful, the lights, the horizon…” she said.

“If only we could stay here forever,” Minhyuk said. He turned to her and cupped her face.

She moved her face into his hand and closed her eyes. His lips were on hers and they kissed for a long time. The warmth of his lips took away the cool night and washed over her. She felt tingling goosebumps form on her skin. When the car began its rotation with a bump, Vy moved away and smiled with an unexpected giddiness.

“Who knew, after that pizza encounter I ran away from, that I’d end up here with you?”

Minhyuk reminisced on the memory, “do you believe in fate now?”

Her heart felt full when they got off the ride and stepped onto the pavement hand in hand. She smiled without concern and felt lighter with each step. They decided to head to the game booths.

It was then someone came and grabbed Vy roughly by the shoulder. She yelled after being grabbed and was ready to attack in fear. Her fist stopped but remained clenched when she saw who it was. He wore a workers vest and spat on the ground.

“Dad?”

“You piece of shit, you actually thought you could leave?”

Minhyuk put his arm in front of her dad when he advanced. He looked at Minhyuk like he was a flea and glared at Vy.

“This your new boyfriend or something? Let me tell you something boy, she ain’t worth shit. And she’s coming home with me now.”

Vy felt an old rage she was very familiar with. It was as if a cold bucket of water had been splashed in her face. This whole time she was living another life and he brought her right back to the freezing reality.

“I’m never going back to you,” Vy said.

“You think this guy will take care of you?” He said pointing his thumb to Minhyuk. “All he wants is pussy, he’s gonna get what he wants and leave. Family is all we got, and that means all you got is me.”

The expression on his face was unfathomable as usual, she was not even sure if he was drinking or not. Pain reopened in her heart along with mortification.

“Fuck you,” she said and stormed away.

He would have gone after her but Minhyuk stopped him, “don’t ever touch her without permission again.”

Minhyuk ran after Vy to find her at the main entrance by the ticketing booths. She leaned on a booth and stared into space. He was unsure of what to say. Instead he placed a hand on her shoulder that went into a hug from behind.

Vy felt the arms around her waist and leaned into him, “I’m sorry you had to see that. Some first date huh…”

Minhyuk hugged her tighter and moved his lips to her ear, “just being with you is enough.” He kissed the side of her head.

She closed her eyes when she felt the water in them. The last thing she wanted to do was cry in front of him. So she turned around and kissed him with all that she had. Hard and passionate, her mind started to slip away from the awful memories.

*****

Minhyuk dropped her off back at the apartment afterwards as he had work to do in the evening. They seemed to have no set hours but she had a feeling that was the usual. On her way inside she overheard raised voices in the kitchen. When she got to the doors, Wonho walked passed her without a glance. She looked down his path to see Changkyun standing there looking tired.

He saw her and waved. She walked over to him and asked if everything was alright.

“Ah you know him, just the usual,” said Changkyun. He laughed a little to lift the mood but Vy saw through it.

“He’ll come around don’t worry, and in the meantime, in the words of my mother, ‘don’t let the bastards get you down’,” Vy said.

Changkyun gave her an honest smile and laughed. “Thanks Vy.”

She went back to her room and noticed a note was passed through her door. Thinking it was Shownu she opened it ready to meet him at his office, but it was from Wonho.

“Enough partying, schedule change, we’re starting tomorrow morning 5am sharp,” Vy read out loud.

She groaned when she looked at the clock’s late hour and sent Wonho a silent curse. Her bed welcomed her for a long stay and she fell right into it without another thought.

She closed her eyes and tried hard not to think of painful topics. Seeing her father dragged her right back to where she wanted to escape. Even Phil seemed a better choice than being with him. She tossed and turned trying to stop thinking. Gradually with each minute her senses started to shut down.

“Don’t let the bastards get you down…” she whispered before falling into oblivion.


	14. Chapter 14

“Climb! Faster!”

She went up each branch as fast as her body would let her. Her face contorted into a possessed fervour as she forced her mind into a cold focus. All she could hear was Wonho’s voice echoing in her head. It egged her on further until she reached the end of the course and gracefully swung herself down.

She landed in a squat on the ground and lifted herself up in triumph. A huge grin spread across her face.

“Alright don’t get too cocky, you passed, but just barely,” he said. “Now onto the roof test.” An evil smile appeared on his lips.

“Roof test?”

They walked back to the apartment and Wonho explained nothing despite her questions. He only stopped at the side of the building, it’s yellow brick looked washed out in the light. A line of the old fire escape zig zagged up the exterior wall.

“This is your last workout test, along with the 69 meter pursuit run but we’ll do that one later,” he said. “Your job is to scale the side of this building, get to the roof, and jump off the other side with this grapple hook.”

He went to the bike cage at the wall and pulled out a grapple hook. She stood there as her stomach dropped to the floor.

“Are you serious right now? What if I fall…I’ve never used a grapple hook before!” The fear set in and crawled in her bones.

Wonho just laughed and handed her the hook. “All of us had to do it at least once.”

He gave her a wink and showed how to wrap it around her body to carry it. She would also be timed.

“Make sure that it’s hooked onto something sturdy, don’t hook it on the ventilation shaft either…”

His words became dull background noise to the static she was starting to hear. A ringing eventually occurred as well. Her body started to sweat without exertion.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, when she heard the word ‘go’ she lost all thought and ran forward. She pulled the ladder down and and swiftly ran up the fire escape. The rusty black metal was chipping off and getting on her hands but she felt nothing at this point, only movement. Her focus led her to the the end of the escape, where she had to jump up a little to get to the edge of the rooftop. She hoisted herself up and stood there for a moment. There was no time to let panic set in, she searched the roof for a good hook point. It was fairly empty save for the entrance vestibule and some mechanical equipment. There was a thick railing by the door to the roof and she set her sights on it. She hooked the grapple onto the railing and ran backwards pulling with all her might to see if it was sturdy enough. It did not budge.

She took another deep breath and wrapped her hand around the rope and began her descent on the other side. Her eyes stayed up and facing the wall. She only glanced at her peripherals to check if she there was a window or obstacle on her way down.

Gravity pulled against her whole body which felt incredibly heavy. She had gotten much stronger over the weeks and held herself fairly well. However, her heart was racing already and she had a cramp in her lung.

The rope burned her hands and she knew she was doing it wrong. She tried to do the 'walk down’ but every time she became more horizontal the fear paralyzed her. In reality she just slowly slid down the rope little by little and as a result her hands were burning.

She could barely feel her arms anymore when her chest cramped so tightly that she slipped, her footing was imbalanced and she lost it. She swung on the side of the building like a pendulum.

“Shit!” She held on for dear life.

She heard boisterous laughter from below her. “You’re not that far from the ground just jump I’ll catch you!” Wonho said.

“No fucking way I’m not jumping, what if you miss!”

Her arms were shaking, and her hands were slipping. If she waited any longer the choice would be made for her.

He laughed even harder at her struggle and the sound grated on her ears. She tried to get her foot back on a ledge but then her hands released the rope without command and she fell. A scream escaped her and she shut her eyes reaching up to grab something, though there was nothing.

Her body hit Wonho’s roughly and though he caught her in his arms the impact made him fall over. She laid on top of him in a daze.

Wonho was about to mock her when he noticed that she was shaking. Her body was shivering from the strain of the day and falling.

“Woah I’m sorry, hey it’s okay, I’m sorry I made you do that…you’re okay…” he said. He put his hand on her back and patted it gently.

She came to her senses and noticed she was in no real pain. She sighed in relief. When she realized she was lying on top of Wonho she jumped off him and dusted off her clothes.

He got up and looked at her awkwardly, they both nodded at each other and looked away. He dismissed her quickly and she went inside.

In the main hall there was Jooheon sitting in a chair with a laptop in front of him. He noticed her disheveled hair and dirty clothes and gave her a puzzled look.

“Are you alright?” He said.

“Yeah, I just did the roof test and it was harder than I hoped…” she said.

Jooheon looked even more puzzled, “what’s the roof test?”

Her eyes glazed over and her blood went aflame.

Wonho was about to sneak by when she stopped him, “please tell me you didn’t make up the roof test.”

He scrunched up his face in a mischievous smirk and shrugged his shoulders. “I honestly didn’t think you’d actually do it. Then you just went off so I was ready to catch you…”

Without a thought she walked up to him and punched him in the face. Her knuckles hurt like hell but she felt satisfied with her choice. It must have been the remaining adrenaline. Jooheon started laughing at the spectacle.

Hyungwon walked into the scene. He wore a long black trench coat and dragged a suitcase with him. He stopped and wondered what the commotion was about.

“Vy punched Wonho in the face!” Jooheon said.

Hyungwon looked between Vy and Wonho and chuckled. “She must have had a good reason.”

Wonho stroked his jaw and smirked. “Heh, looks like you’re ready for phase two of our training. Tomorrow morning meet me in the basement.”

She was about to leave when Hyungwon stepped in front of her. “Come on, tell me that you missed me…I missed you…”

The glare she gave him seemed to do the trick as he put his hands in the air and backed away. She overheard them laughing on her way out.

“She’s so cute,” Hyungwon said.

“She’s a damn fool,” said Wonho.

Her room was very chilly when she walked in, the window was left open from her delirious morning. The strain of her exercises were catching up on her now, she was about to head to the bathroom when a knock sounded at the door.

It was Minhyuk, he walked in with Chinese food. Her heart burst with happiness as did her stomach. She left him to go clean up and returned to a set table with the food laid out.

“Ooooh what’s the occasion?” She said grabbing her plate.

“I was starving on my way back, thought you might be too. Looks like Wonho did a number on you today.”

She rolled her eyes, “don’t even get me started…”

The taste of the rice was heavenly on her tongue. It was still a bit hot but she powered through it and chewed happily. Most of her meals had consisted of instant ramyun and bread so this meal sent her senses on a journey.

“I do have some news,” Minhyuk said after a while. He did not make any eye contact, “I’ve been put on a new assignment, this one is pretty long.”

Her voice lowered, “how long?”

He stopped eating and put down his utensils, “about four weeks.”

“When do you leave?” Vy felt a sigh in her whole body.

"It won’t be for another couple weeks but I wanted to tell you right away. I’m sorry Vy,” he said.

She shook her head and popped a piece of chicken into her mouth. The flavour distracted her for a brief second. “Don’t be sorry, it’s the job. I’ll be fine.”

She mustered up her best smile and showed him. He leaned over and kissed her.

The next morning she left her apartment in a rush. The sun was already peeking out through the horizon and she knew Wonho was already waiting for her.

It took her a few minutes to find the entrance of the basement but soon enough she found a door that led to a dark cement staircase. To her astonishment, when she reached the bottom floor it was not some unfinished crap like she expected. There was a developed hallway that branched into two areas. One side led to a series of metal doors and the other led to a huge open space with mats, punch bags, and other equipment. Silver lockers lined the walls covered with dents and scratches.

Wonho waited with his back turned to her. She greeted him but he did not respond. Again she greeted him but louder. Still no response.

Her eyes rolled. “What, are you mad about me punching you? Cause you deserved that.”

He did not budge. Her early morning brain was not in a patient enough state to deal with whatever he was doing. She walked up to him and grabbed his shoulder.

He suddenly turned around and twisted her body in one swift movement. She was in a headlock and struggled to get out of it.

“What the fuck!”

She shoved against him with all her might but he kept her there until she stopped. He then let go.

“What is wrong with you?” She said gripping her neck with a gasp.

“Lesson one, do not approach anyone without some kind of physical intention at the back of your mind,” he held out his hand to her with that familiar smirk, “let’s try that again.”


	15. Chapter 15

The day she dreaded had finally arrived. She walked into Minhyuk’s room to see him finish up packing. He had a small pile of folded clothes beside the suitcase and put them inside it before he zipped it up.

“Don’t forget your toothbrush,” Vy said half heartedly.

He smiled and went to her for a tight embrace. She felt her eyes burn a little but tried to contain herself.

“I promise I’ll be back as quick as possible,” he said into her hair. “The time will go by quickly, we’ll just have to keep ourselves busy.”

His melodious voice broke into her emotions and tears fell from her eyes. She started laughing nervously. “I’m sorry I’m acting like a clingy teenager right now…”

He let go of their embrace just enough to cup her face in both his hands. His eyes twinkled in a sea of black and brown darkness.

“Vy…I love you. I know it’s been a short time, but that doesn’t change how I feel.”

Her senses lit on fire at his words, she was worried for a second that she misheard. She looked up at him with shiny eyes and an anxious expression. She started to say something when Minhyuk pressed his lips onto hers so fiercely she forgot where she was anymore.

Her head whirled at the feeling of his lips, the soft warmth mixed with the aggressive action was dizzying. Her hands reached up to his neck and she held him there, his hair brushed her fingertips with soft tendrils.

He held her tightly against him and pulled away so he could look at her again. He pushed aside her hair and hugged her once more breathing in her scent.

“I’m sorry…” he whispered so low she did not hear it.

The next day she woke up at the crack of dawn to meet her slave driver in the basement. It had been two weeks since they started and she had her days of despising him but learning to fight was enjoyable.

He waited by the mats as usual in shorts and a t shirt that seemed slightly too small for him. His biceps bulged in the light and he stared at her with an evil look. She had gotten used to his demented style of teaching at this point.

Every day it was a new approach, every single time they trained he would be waiting for her in a different way. She was supposed to grab him with intent and try to pin him down. However, it usually ended up with her on the floor or in some sort of locked position.

This time he gave her a stare down and flexed his muscles like gorilla. He breathed heavily through his nostrils and even stomped his foot once. The veins in his neck looked strained and though she thought it was comical there was something very dangerous about it all.

She took a breath and ran towards him. Yelling, she tried to use the new tactic he taught her by hooking her leg around his neck but he easily grabbed her ankle and pushed her backwards.

She landed with a thud and jumped back up. This warm up lasted about ten minutes until Wonho got sick of it and then grabbed her by the leg and pushed her down onto her stomach. His body weight pinned her down helplessly and she tapped out.

“Ahh haven’t you been learning anything I taught you?” He said.

He helped her up and began the ruthless regiment. They only stopped for water breaks and food and went until sundown. Her muscles ached each night and she began to grow weary.

When she laid in bed all she could think of was Minhyuk. In the blink of an eye a week had passed since he left and the only thing that kept her going was to see his proud expression when he returned. She wanted to do better to show him she was more than just the girl who ran away from home.

After another week she felt her spirits begin to rise. The early mornings no longer hurt and her body was getting used to the long hours of activity. She even began to stay after their training sessions and continue her work outs.

On the beginning of the third week Minhyuk had been gone, she went downstairs as was routine. Wonho was not there. He was nowhere to be found. She smiled at the challenge. Wonho no longer kept track of her hours training and she believed he would underestimate her. She would use it to her advantage.

She casually walked around breathing low and evenly. “Looks like he’s finally late, can’t wait to harp on that bastard…” she said.

She walked up to a punching bag and started wrapping her fingers with tape. The tape made a ripping sound as she removed it from the roll. Her ears were hyper aware and she heard the lowest shuffling sound and immediately ran forward when she felt the brush of a hand on her back.

Wonho ran behind her and got her in a headlock and was about to push her up against the wall. However, she lifted her legs and ran up the wall, flipping over him and knocked him down to the ground. She wrapped her legs around his neck and pinned his arms down.

“Hah! Yes!” She was elated.

He stayed still and she tightened her legs roughly. He laughed when the breath was knocked out of him and tapped out. When she let him go he gave her a different look. One she had not seen before. It was a surprised expression but with a hint of possible respect. Dare she go as far to think that?

“Looks like you’re not a lost cause, maybe I can teach you a thing or two…” Wonho said.

It was the highest she had felt in a while. Her heart raced with excitement and she felt absolutely on top of the world.

They continued for a few more hours when he picked up a towel and threw it at her. “Let’s go.”

“Are we done already?”

Wonho smirked and started walking away, “I see dedication, so we can take a proper break. Do you like barbecued meat?”

They drove to a restaurant in downtown, it was on the belt line and looked quite dingy. The exterior walls were a faded yellow and the neon sign flashed loudly.

“It looks like a shit hole but they have the best barbecue here I swear,” Wonho said.

She thought he was going to open the door for her and smiled. However he saw someone he recognized inside and walked in without a thought. The door almost slammed in her face and she rolled her eyes.

“What do I expect…” she muttered under her breath.

The grill was fired up in front of them and a stout older man brought them plates and plates of meat. She looked at it and immediately her stomach growled and her mouth watered.

She had never had food like this before and Wonho took all the meats and laid them out in a specific order on the grill. They ordered side items and he told her which ones would go well with which meats. He cooked everything and set it on her plate.

The food was heavenly in her mouth, she dipped the meat in several sauces and ate it with rice and potatoes. What a sight it was to realize how much her appetite had grown since before the training. She could eat heaps more food and that was just what she did.

She noticed Wonho left several times during the meal to go talk to the old man. Vy felt like it was more than just small talk after the third time he got up. When he came back she asked him about it.

“You didn’t just bring us here for food did you,” she said.

Wonho smirked and gave a slight nod. “Surprised you caught on, you looked a little busy shovelling all that food in.”

He paused when some more customers came in. The owner led them to a table far away from theirs.

“We’re actually on an assignment. Shownu told me to bring you in as soon as I thought you would be okay to use.”

Vy’s eyes widened, “you mean we’re partners?”

Wonho looked her dead in the eyes, “we’re not partners. You’re just a tag-a-long intern who will not fuck anything up. Understand? The only reason you’re here is because Shownu said I wouldn’t get any assignments if I didn’t do this with you.”

At this point none of Wonho’s words affected her much when he spoke that way. Though for just a tiny bit it stung. She just nodded at him silently and thanked him for the food.

“The owner of this restaurant is one of my guys, he observes for me. The last thing he observed was a shady looking sidewalk hustler from our side doing a deal with a cleaned up guy who looked like he was on the other side.”

Vy was trying to stay with his statement but she was confused, “okay so someone sold drugs to someone else but what do you mean by our side and the other side?”

“Oh I forgot nobody told you these things…here we go…” he took a deep breath and a chug of water. “The seven of us are The Clan. We are a sub group of a large organization under the Park family. They own us pretty much and we’re loyal to them. There’s a lot of sub groups under the Park family and those groups are like brother and sister groups to us. Now there’s another big player in the city who the Park’s have a truce with, they’re equally as powerful so to war with them is just a bad idea. They are called the Hanamuri family, they also have sub groups like we do, but we say they’re on the other side because we don’t associate with them as per the truce. The Hanamuri stick to theirs and we stick to ours.”

He stuck an ice cube in his mouth and began to chew while she let the information sink in. So far his explanation cleared her mind a little but she felt there were still many questions.

“So are you saying that a drug pusher from the Park side, our side, sold stuff to a Hanamuri subordinate?” She said.

He nodded. “It’s not the most shocking thing to happen but it’s fishy enough we should look into it. I have a file of our assignment in the car you can take a look at it when we’re done here.” He then got up and went over to the bar and ordered a drink which she thought was odd. It was then she noticed that the owner slipped Wonho a small piece of paper along the bottom of the drink. She scarfed down the rest of her food and they left.

She looked through the file and saw that they were checking out a small discrepancy in drug weigh-ins compared to the accumulated amount of income. Wonho drove and glanced at her confused expression.

“Yeah this is probably the most basic task we could be doing, it’s most likely nothing. Either the idiot messed up the numbers or took a few hits for himself. When we’re done with this we’re going to talk to Shownu and you’re going to tell him you want to work with someone else. Deal? You can go work with your boyfriend…”

Vy blushed at his words and looked away. The last thing she wanted was a relationship conversation with Wonho.

“So where are we going now?” She said.

"The owner gave me the address of our guy that did the deal, he might have some answers.”

They pulled into a tiny alley behind a row of small houses. The houses had paint peeling off the sides and looked like they were holding it together by a thread. They approached a grove of trees and found their way into the backyard. Wonho turned to her and put a finger to his lips, she nodded.

The lawn was a complete jungle and the grass went up to her knees. They fished through it as quietly as possible and noticed that a window was open. They hid below it and heard a voice from inside.

“Yeah I’m selling as fast as I can, can you tell him to get off my ass! It’s not easy, I gotta sell double just to make it look normal. There’s only so much I can skim off before they’ll notice!”

Wonho looked at Vy and signalled her to go around the front while he would go through the back door. Her first mission seemed fairly simple though her heart was pounding loudly and she was already sweating. She tiptoed away and mistakenly did not notice a twig in the grass, it snapped loudly and the talking immediately stopped. She ran to the front to see a man pop through the front door and begin to run.

“Fuck! Run after him!” Wonho yelled from behind her.

She started pursuing the man down the street. He carried a satchel with him and was sprinting like his life depended on it. Her body was in full focus and she just let her legs follow him as fast as she could. They came to a bridge that went into downtown and the man ran across it and threw his satchel into the river below. She looked to the side but decided to keep pursuing him instead. People began to stare at them but she paid them no mind.

They ran several blocks and she felt her stamina wane slightly but it looked as though he was slowing down more than her. She smiled when she was within a few feet of him. He zigzagged across the road and for one second he looked back and she was almost upon him.

It was then a car came to a screeching halt and crashed right into him, she felt the wind from the impact right in front of her face and looked at the ground in terror. The man she pursued was in a pile on the asphalt in a large pool of blood and bone fragments. A scream erupted from around her and she felt someone grab her and take her away. It was Wonho he walked her away from the scene and put his coat around her to cover the blood on her shirt. They walked into a fast food restaurant and he told her to clean up before going outside again.

She looked at herself in the mirror and could only stand there and stare. There were flecks of blood on her face and no amount of water seemed to remove it. It felt as though her whole face was itchy and covered in the man’s blood. She panted and the room felt nauseating. The image of his bloody demise flashed before her eyes repeatedly and she only wished that was something that she could have prepared for. All the weights, running, and training suddenly fell away and she was back to the scared and fucked up place she was before. She fell to her knees and cried as Wonho knocked on the door for her to hurry up.


	16. Chapter 16

The walk back to the car was a blur. Vy was still reeling from the incident. Wonho’s words felt thick and heavy, she could barely comprehend them.

“Hey! Look at me, you’re okay alright? We’re going back for now,” he said.

She vaguely nodded and felt the car start. The ride was long and unsettling. She cracked the window open and felt the cool air on her face. After a while Wonho inquired if she was doing okay.

She stared at the dashboard while she spoke. “It was just really…I saw pieces of him on the road…” she could barely finish her sentence before almost gagging.

Wonho kept quiet and the rest of the ride was spent in a comforting silence. When they got back he told her to go clean up and that he would give the report to Shownu. She gratefully accepted his offer and went back to her room.

After the shower she checked her phone, there was a text message from Minhyuk. He asked how her day went. She humorlessly laughed out loud and could only come up with a reply saying it was eventful. She wrote in that she missed him too.

It was sometime after midnight she laid restless in her bed. She sheets felt rough and suffocating. The entire room was hot and silent. She could hear every creak and tiny noise amplified in her ears.

With a sigh she got up and put her sweatpants on. She grabbed her phone and put her headphones in.

The night air whipped through her hair as she ran. The breeze blew gently on her skin and she closed her eyes for a few seconds to take it in. Without thinking she jogged to the field they used to train in. The outdoor gym was hidden in the shadow of the night and she noticed a figure moving in it. When she got closer it glanced her way.

“Can’t sleep huh?” Wonho said.

“No…” she said quietly.

He hopped away from the apparatus and approached her. “Let’s go,” he said.

“Where?”

He just grabbed her hand and pulled her away from the field. They walked back to the apartment building and he ushered her inside. When they got to the kitchen he pulled out a bottle of whiskey. He took out two glasses and poured in the brown liquid. She smiled when he handed her a cup. They walked out to the front porch and rested their glasses on the railing, looking outwards at the parked vehicles and gravelly roads.

“I was most interested in learning to fight because I thought it would protect me. Make me stronger. My entire life I couldn’t protect myself or my mom from my dad and I thought this would finally be the time I wouldn’t be afraid anymore. But I’m just a fucking wuss,” she said.

Wonho laughed. “You thought you’d come out of this as a terminator?” He looked up at the sky and shook his head. “This job, this life, you’ll find, no matter how much experience you think you have, it never gets much easier. Some things, like that guy today, you’ll get used to shit like that. Doesn’t make it easy, but there are worse things that can keep you up at night.”

She felt oddly comforted by his words and felt a little weight fall away. They sat there for a long time until she felt the pull of sleep. Downing her drink, she turned to walk back to her room.

“Wonho?” she said, turning back.

“Mm?”

“Thank you. Let’s meet at dawn and get started again tomorrow.”

He smirked and nodded at her. She almost left again when she had a thought.

“Wonho?”

“Yeah?”

“What keeps you up at night?”

There was a long silence between them and she thought he would not answer. Then he said so low she could barely hear, “all of it.”

************** ************ *********** ************* 

The next morning they went back to the man’s house discretely. From what they noticed there were no cops present.

“This is our best chance to get information. We got lucky he probably wasn’t carrying any ID. But they’ll find out who he is and where he lives soon enough, let’s go,” Wonho said.

They went in through the back and listened for any noise but there was no one there. The house was lacking in many ways. There was one solitary couch in the empty living room with an old television sitting on the floor. They walked upstairs, into the bedrooms, the kitchen, the bathroom, and checked every drawer, shelf, and corner. There was nothing.

“That can’t be, he had to have something here,” Vy said.

Wonho thought carefully for a moment, “Unless someone got here before we did…”

“But doesn’t the house look all ransacked after that kind of stuff?”

“Don’t believe everything from movies, if it looked ransacked then the cops would escalate the case into a more serious investigation. What they wanted was to get rid of all the evidence and make sure they treat our guy like a regular deceased junkie.”

Vy kept quiet and looked around. Though no matter what she looked at, there was no indication of anything other than dirt and negligence. She even looked in the toilet tank, nothing. Perhaps her movie watching anecdotes were not as helpful as she had thought. They did a full sweep through the entire house but there was nothing.

Wonho swore and began muttering to himself. “Of all the cases…Even if this guy died we could have just put it to bed, but it’s because of that damn phone call we have to look into it. If this ends up being a huge waste of time…”

Vy had a thought. “I know it might be impossible, but since we can’t find anything here, I remember he threw his bag over the bridge. I mean it’s probably god knows where now or destroyed, but that’s the only thing I can think of.”

He agreed it was their only option at this point. They walked over to the bridge and went off the main path into the bushes. It led to the underside of the bridge on a steep hill. There were worn out clothes ominously laying around on the grass. As they walked deeper into the foliage and got closer to the river, they saw that along the underside of the bridge there were small shacks made of all sorts of used materials.

“You go look for the bag I’m going to see if there’s anyone here,” Wonho said.

She walked along the edge of the river and looked around. There was an endless amount of rocks and slime along with lots of garbage. For a moment she thought she saw something promising but it was just a backpack filled with mould. She gagged from the stench. There were many things she would have to learn to get used to, being squeamish was going to be of no help to her.

Wonho found her and from his angry expression she knew he did not get any information.

“They won’t say anything, didn’t sound like they knew much either. Guessing you found shit all too," he said.

He crossed his arms and stepped back. He stood there scanning the area for several minutes. She left him to his methods and continued along the edge of the river. She followed the path of the current hoping that it might have washed up somewhere further ahead. Soon she was far enough away from the bridge that the trees became thinner and the grass faded into dirt. Frustration bubbled up and she cursed aloud.

There was a rustling behind her and she turned around ready to attack. It was a child. A little girl that looked no older than five. Her skin was covered in dirt and she looked filthy. She just stared at Vy with an expressionless face.

Vy walked up to her but the girl began to run, she grabbed the girl’s arm but the child turned around and bit her. Vy exclaimed and stepped back in surprise. She chased after the girl and tried to find her but it was of no use. Then she thought of a plan.

She ran back to Wonho who was completely fed up at this point and requested him to come with her. He gave her a doubtful look but she begged for a chance.

Vy ran up to the bridge and into downtown while Wonho followed behind her.

“Where the hell are we going?” He said.

She turned into the first sandwich shop she saw and went inside. After ordering a dozen of them and a pack of water bottles it only took them seconds to get it all ready.

Wonho walked in when the shopkeeper handed her the bags. On her way out she patted him on the shoulder and said, “thanks for spotting me on this one! I owe you!”

His confused look turned to anger when the shopkeeper heckled him for the unpaid food.

She ran back to the bridge and began to pass food out to the homeless people that were there. Many of them were seniors or young children. Some smiled at her with grateful faces while some snatched the food away with a scowl. With one sandwich left she ran back to the place where she saw the girl. She unwrapped it and set it on the ground.

“I brought you food! I promise I won’t hurt you. I won’t touch you, I just want to talk to you.”

She then walked backwards and stood a few feet away from the food. A small brown head popped out of the trees. The girl crawled up to her slowly. She saw the food and magnetically went towards it. The girl took the sandwich and shovelled it into her mouth. She squatted and filled her mouth until she started coughing. Vy was about to step forward when the girl flinched then she stopped.

Vy crouched and rolled a water bottle towards the girl. She grabbed it and gulped it down in one go.

“I just have one question for you, did you see a black bag wash up here recently?“

The girl stared at her for a long time and looked around. Once she confirmed there was nobody around she nodded at Vy.

"Wait,” the girl said.

She ran off and when she came back there was a black satchel being dragged along the ground with her. She brought it to Vy’s feet and stood slightly closer than before.

Vy was ecstatic and smiled when she saw it. Though it looked very worn down from the water it was their best find so far.

"Thank you so much,” Vy said.

"That belongs to the mean man…”

Vy’s brows furrowed. “You know who this belongs to?”

“He sometimes would come and talk to people here.”

“Which people?”

She shrugged. “They were mean too.”

As the girl continued to look around her eyes widened in fear when she saw one of the older woman walking their way. She immediately ran into the trees again before Vy could say anything else.

Vy turned to leave when the older woman grabbed her arm. “Don’t come here again.”

She was a bit puzzled when she got to the car but her thoughts dissipated when she saw Wonho leaned back in the driver’s seat with his arms crossed and eyes closed.

“You conned me. After all my kindness…”

Vy laughed as they drove back. “Are you sulking right now? I don’t have any money! And with it I got valuable information so just think of it as an investment for this assignment.”

Wonho rolled his eyes. “So you found the satchel? Do you think they have more information?”

She nodded. “They wouldn’t say much but maybe I’ll go back later and ask that girl. She was so cute, sad to see her life turned out like that.”

Wonho shrugged and said, “if it makes you feel better, with our line of work it’s likely she will outlive you.”

She gave him a look. “Wow thanks.”

When they got back to the apartment they went to one of the meeting rooms. She opened the bag over a large table and started pulling out its contents.

A lot of the items suffered severe water damage and crumbled with the lightest touch. The inside was slimy and wet and she thanked herself for wearing gloves.

Wonho stood in the corner and watched what was being taken out though most of it was useless. She pulled out a mushy pile of what once might have been money. The bag was then empty. She searched through the pockets desperately trying to find something. Anything.

“Wait I think I found something!” She said.

A small rectangle was pulled out of one of the interior pockets. It was wet but intact. The writing was still legible though faded slightly.

Wonho took the card she handed to him. He turned it over in his hands. “You ready to go?”

“Where?”

“According to this, Ace Accounting.“


	17. Chapter 17

A mid sized building stood against the edge of the city. It was midday and the crowds started to wane as the end of the workday approached. It was a light brown building with textured exterior walls. The windows held a yellow cast devoid of any shine.

Wonho and Vy parked across the street and walked into the building, the revolving doors whirled around them. There was a security guard at the front desk who inquired about what they needed.

Ace Accounting was on the fourth floor so they took the elevator. When the doors opened they were greeted by an empty reception desk that had papers piled messily over it. The whole place looked very hectic.

Wonho walked in first and looked around. “Hello?” he said quietly. 

There was no answer so they decided to venture inside. On the business card, along with the address, there was also the name of an employee, _David Porter._

“Let’s find this David Porter’s office,” Wonho said.

It was a small office space as it only occupied one fourth of the whole floor. After passing reception there were only three more offices and a few cubicles. They found a door with the label ‘David Porter’ beside it but it was locked.

Wonho kicked the door open with a bang and Vy stared at him in shock. “What if someone heard you!”

“Be fast then," he said with a smirk.

They went in and Vy went for the main desk while Wonho went to the filing cabinet. She opened the drawers and grabbed all the folders she could and quickly looked through them.

“What are we looking for exactly?” Vy said.

“Anything that looks weird. Look for amounts between five thousand and a hundred thousand that are billed to things like dry cleaning or recreational facilities.”

Most of the files were about items below five hundred. David Porter seemed to work for a lot of small restaurants and businesses. When she thought there was nothing else she ran her hands all over the desk for any secret compartments.

Her movie anecdotes proved to be inaccurate most of the time, however, she rejoiced when she felt something click under the desk. A ghost compartment popped out that contained a large tan envelope.

She opened it and pulled out a stack of records in an envelope. Wonho came over and she handed it to him.

He had a confused look on his face as he spoke. “These are all invoices to dummy organizations, we’ve used them before too. But it looks like these date up to two years ago…why so little?”

“What do you mean little?”

“It’s weird, because it looks like these amounts aren’t much alone but added up it’s almost half a million. This doesn’t make any sense. Minimum we invoice is five grand and all these are under that…”

They heard a door open in the hallway and Vy’s blood froze. Her nerves went wild and she looked to Wonho for guidance. He put his finger to his lips and went over to the door to get a glimpse.

He mouthed, “Might be David.” He shrugged.

From the footsteps it sounded like he was headed towards the office. She panicked in the enclosed office space, the only way out was the way in. His steps then stopped, they faded away in the other direction.

Wonho grabbed Vy’s hand and snuck her into the next room. The door was already open so they went inside and quietly shut it. They leaned against the wall shared with David’s office.

The sound of steps returned to the hallway and they heard him exclaim when he saw his door. It was clear that someone forced it open. They heard him run inside and begin to rustle through his files. Vy heard him click the private compartment and wail when there was nothing there. Then it was silence.

“Hello? Yeah, my office was broken into. They took the fucking files. What the fuck am I supposed to do now? He’s going to kill me! I’m dead. You know Hanamuri don’t forgive mistakes.”

There was a pause of silence again.

“What do you mean it’s fine? You know he’ll come after me now! Please just put in a good word for me, I did everything he asked. Please.”

They heard a small object get thrown across the room. There was some more shuffling and the door slammed shut. Footsteps stomped away and vanished with the ping of an elevator.

She sighed feeling short of breath. Wonho walked out of the room and gestured her to follow.

“He’s going to tell security, we gotta go.”

They snuck to the stairwell and ran down to the parkade. Once there they walked out onto the street through the parkade stairwells and hurried to the car. Vy held the brown envelope tightly against her body and only relaxed when they were enough far away from the building.

“We have to talk to Shownu right away,” Wonho said.

They arrived just as the sun disappeared from the sky. Streetlights shone with a fluorescent glow along the road. Shownu’s silver truck reflected the white light and it shone in her eyes.

They got to his office and knocked on the door. Inside, Shownu was on the phone. He indicated for them to sit down until he finished. Vy was about to hand Wonho the envelope when he shook his head at her and flicked it away. She smiled at his method of encouraging her to relay the information herself.

“So, what have you guys got?” Shownu said.

Vy began to summarize all the events of their day since their initial visit to the dealer’s house. Shownu listened carefully while she spoke and looked through the contents of the envelopes. Wonho chimed in every now and then to mention how he thought it was relevant and Shownu got up to pull out some files from the shelf.

He looked through a few different folders with a puzzled expression. “I can’t believe nobody noticed this for two years. And this is only the count from our quadrant. There’s something very wrong here, you two need to get to the bottom of it asap. I suggest keeping this quiet until further information is uncovered. We need to show this to the boss soon, someone is syphoning money in small increments. Find out who and why.”

He piled the papers and made photocopies of them, then he handed them back the originals. Wonho and Vy left afterwards to go to a meeting room. 

They laid out their two pieces of evidence on the table, the business card and the envelope. It was not much but it was all they had. She wondered about where they would go from there.

“Maybe tomorrow I can go back to the bridge and see if those people can give me any more information?” Vy said.

Wonho looked at her with a stern gaze. “I’m not buying any food for you this time.”

She laughed and conceded. At the least there were cookies in her room.

“We need to talk with David Porter, he’s our only source of information. I’ll try and find him tomorrow. Keep your phone on you. I’ll let you know where to meet me.”

“Are you sure he’ll talk to you?”

Wonho smiled coldly. “He has no choice.”

The next day she was on her way to the bridge, Wonho dropped her off and went to search for David Porter. She wondered if Wonho was going to hurt him. It would not be surprising given what she had seen him do before.

When she crossed the rural roads and got closer to the bridge she noticed there was a long row of police cars and ambulances. Sirens blared in the distance getting closer and closer. A small crowd of people stood and watched.

She ran up to one of the bystanders and asked about the situation. A solemn looking older woman shook her head as she spoke.

“They’re all dead…those poor people.”

Vy’s breath caught in her throat. The weight of the woman’s words slowly sank in and she feared the worst. She pushed through the crowd and was stopped by a police officer stating it was a closed site.

“Please! Please tell me what happened,” she said.

The officer said nothing and held her away from the scene while she tried to look. The coroner wheeled bodies away and her eyes snapped to one sheet covered figure, it was smaller than the rest. The wind picked up and the sheet lifted from the body’s face.

She felt a stab through her heart when she saw the face of the little girl. A hand went to her chest and she backed away.

There were many people discussing the scene and she only heard fragments of what was said.

“One of them lost it…”

“He killed them all and committed suicide…”

“What a shame…”

“This is the danger of homelessness…”

“The government needs to do something or else this will continue….”

There was a ringing in her ears from the cacophony of sound. She had heard enough from the crowd. Everything suddenly felt surreal. She sat on the curb for a moment and zoned out. She recalled her conversation with Wonho.

“…with our line of work it's likely she will outlive you…”

The words echoed in her mind. They had joked about and she accepted it. To see the contrasting reality was hard to accept. It was only her second day on the job and she had seen so much blood.

Her phone vibrated and startled her. She answered it and Wonho’s voice was on the other end.

“Hey I think I’m close to finding him, how’s your end?”

She explained what happened in a monotone voice. Wonho was silent for a moment.

“It could be a random crime. Or it could be something more. We can look into it tonight. For now, since you’re free, you can do me an errand,” Wonho said.

She listened while he gave her instructions to meet with the manager of the restaurant they went to before. The man was to give her a file of information on David Porter and all his associates.

The walk was going to be long so she took the train through a station on the east side of downtown. The subway was darkly lit and busy. When she came down the stairs an array of heads moved around the platform. She walked towards the front end of the station when she noticed something.

Amongst the crowd, on the back end of the platform, a small head of brown hair caught her eye. When she focused her gaze she thought she saw a flash of Minhyuk’s face. She started to walk towards the person when they began to board an opposite train. She pushed through the crowd trying to catch up.

When she got to the train the doors closed and would no longer open. She wanted to get a better look at them but all she saw was the back of their head. The train then took off.

She pulled out her phone and called Minhyuk. He answered with a groggy voice and she could not help but smile.

"Hey, what are you up to?” She said.

“Mm I just woke up, a few more days until I’m back in town, I can’t wait to see you.”

Vy laughed at her craziness. Perhaps one more death would push her over the edge. She spoke with him for a few more minutes and then boarded her train. The entire way she thought about what to tell him when he returned. The tunnels were dark and the light of the subway gave her a headache.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you are liking this story then please let me know and I'd love your feedback! <3 Thank you!


	18. Chapter 18

She knocked on a mahogany door. The hallway had rose wallpaper and a dark wooden finish along the corners. It reminded her of a horror movie she had seen when she was young. She could almost picture the walls splashed with blood.

Wonho opened the door with a serious expression and led her inside. He glanced out at the hallway before shutting the door.

“Where is he?” Vy said.

Wonho pointed his thumb towards the closed bathroom door. Wonho had messaged her about his whereabouts when he found David hiding out at this hotel. She wondered what condition David was in but decided to wait and see. She gave Wonho the items that the restaurant owner gave her. He took the envelope and looked through it quickly.

“Hmm, looks like he’s been associating with a few different people. Some I’ve seen on the business side of things. But that could mean anything.”

It seemed he was more speaking to himself but she quietly listened. She watched his hands flip quickly between the papers and then suddenly he stopped. She observed his eyes go wide with terror for a split second then return not quite to normal. His grip on the paper tightened to the point he crumpled the sides and almost ripped it. She felt waves of tension coming off his body. He tossed the other papers on the bed and kept the crumpled one with him.

He stormed into the washroom and Vy heard him interrogating David. She remained by the bed unsure of what to do so she just listened.

“What were you doing here?”

She heard him straighten out the paper and assumed he held it up for David to see.

David’s voice was low and fatigued. “Look, I swear I don’t know anything. They just made me cover up some paper trails, that’s it.”

She heard Wonho punch him. The sound made her cringe, she knew Wonho was angry about something and that his hits might not be as controlled as they should.

David spat on the floor and moaned in pain. It seemed like he was doing his best to hold back tears. “Please, if I say anything they’ll kill me.”

“You already dug your grave when you betrayed the Park family by doing business with the Hanamuri. Did you think we wouldn’t find out?”

There was silence, then David took a breath. “I went to that club to get my instructions. That was the only place they’d meet me.”

It was silent for a long time. Vy wondered what she should do and then a phone rang from a jacket on the table beside her. She took it out of the jacket pocket and realized it was David’s phone. Wonho ran in and she passed him the phone. He took it back to the washroom and showed David.

“Fuck! It’s the guy I meet at the club…they’re going to kill me…”

“You’re going to answer this phone, and you’re going to do your god damn best to meet with them again. You do that and we will protect you,” Wonho said.

He answered on speaker and handed David the phone.

The man on the other line sounded slightly drunk and annoyed. Vy was not sure if that was just the lilt of his voice or if he was really inebriated.

“David…you fucked up.”

“I don’t know who broke into my office sir, it was a mistake-”

“Tsk tsk, we don’t like mistakes. You know this.”

“Please sir, I can give you everything I had on the-”

“Bring the files to our usual meeting place. We’ll call you. And make sure you bring all of it David.”

With that the phone call ended. She heard David sighing loudly.

“They’re going to kill me as soon as I give them everything.”

“I know,” Wonho said, “that’s why you’re going to cooperate with us since at least this gives you a chance. Think about your options right now, you don’t have many, I’ll be back.”

He closed the bathroom door on his way out and tossed the crumpled paper on the bed. His hands ran through his hair and he rubbed his face. Vy noticed Wonho’s restless behaviour increased since she showed him the envelope. He refused to sit down and paced around the room before staring out the window.

She picked up the paper and saw that it was a printed photo. It was incredibly grainy and faded but it was a street shot. One building in particular stood out and it had a bright sign titled “Siren Song” in swirly letters with a small crowd of people at the front doors. She wondered if Wonho had been there before.

Then David called out from the washroom. He said he would cooperate with them if they would help him. Wonho agreed and released him from his binds. He was surprised when he saw Vy for the first time but said nothing.

The car ride was silent. They put a bag over his head and had him lay down in the back. She almost apologized for the uncomfortable ride but thought it was best to remain quiet.

They pulled up to the front of the apartment and Wonho turned the car off right away. It was dark outside and the lack of head lights made it hard to see. Wonho pulled David out of the car and told him to be quiet. Vy was directed to lead the way to the basement and make sure nobody was around to see them.

They snuck inside and Wonho led their visually impaired guest in. He guided David through the hallways and Vy led them down the stairs. She wondered why they were going downstairs with him.

Out of routine her body turned towards the gym but Wonho turned the other way. It was the area she had been before with all the metal doors, a place she had never been.

Wonho pressed some combination on a keypad and opened one of the doors. She peeked inside and her eyes widened. It was a cell. The entire room was a metal box with a small toilet and a cot. She stopped Wonho and looked at him. He pushed David into the cell and took the bag off his head.

David looked around and Vy could see his sinking expression. She knew that the man was no angel but there was an unsettling feeling in her stomach at the thought of leaving him there.

“I’m sure you understand why, ” Wonho said.

David nodded and went to sit down with his hands resting on his knees. “What will we do when they call?”

“For now, rest up. I’ll give you details later. Do you know when they would notify you?”

David looked purely dismal, “sometimes they don’t call for days.”

Wonho brought him food and jugs of water and placed it in the corner of the room. Vy watched over him while Wonho got the room ready.

“I know that the situation seems bad, but if we help each other it will get better,” the words slipped out before she could do anything.

David looked up at her from the cot and gave her a tiny smile, “you must be new.” He laughed a bit and then spoke again, “I don’t mean that in a bad way, but usually the greener you are, the more the optimism. But I appreciate it.”

She simply nodded and then Wonho came back with the last of the provisions. Then they closed the door and locked it. Wonho turned to Vy and grabbed her shoulders looking her square in the eye.

“We have to make sure nobody here knows about David, no one. Make sure nobody saw us. We don’t have to worry too much since it’s sound proof but just in case keep an eye out. Okay?” Wonho said.

She nodded and he let her go. They walked towards the gym when she saw something move out of the corner of her eye. She looked in the direction of the sound and saw a scared looking Changkyun hiding within the equipment. From his expression she had a feeling he saw all of it. 

Wonho stopped, “what’s wrong? Do you see anything?”

She looked away quickly and changed the subject. Wonho seemed to believe it and moved on. When they got upstairs Wonho sent her on a short errand while he started the meeting with Shownu.

On her way to his office, she got a phone call, it was Minhyuk. He told her that he would be coming back earlier and her spirits rose immediately. She excitedly spoke with him for a few minutes then hung up though her heart could still feel the after effects.

When she approached the door she heard yelling from Shownu’s office.

“It’s her! She’s fucking involved in this I know it. Let me go there to talk to her, I can get the information! I don’t care what I have to do…” It was Wonho that was yelling.

During the silence Vy thought it was appropriate to knock and walk in. Shownu and Wonho were both standing and facing one another.

“Wonho, we are not going to war with the Hanamuri. So we need to play nice. But I agree with you, I think we need to go there and make a deal with her. But it’s too dangerous for you and Vy alone. I’m putting Minhyuk and Hyungwon on this.”

Wonho looked livid at the mention of their names. “Are you fucking crazy? I can handle it on my own, why would you drag them into this. It’s hard enough for Hyungwon.”

Shownu did something he usually never did, he got in Wonho’s face. Quite close. He towered over him.

“You are too close to this, and it’s too important to not be careful. I trust you Wonho, I don’t trust her.”

They stayed like that for a moment then Wonho broke away and stormed off. She wondered if that was a regular interaction for them.

“You’re probably wondering if that’s how it always is with him, and for the most part not really. Ever since you got here and since…” Shownu said trailing off.

Vy hesitated when she spoke. “I’m a bit confused on what we’re doing?”

Shownu sat back down and clasped his hands together. “Oh right, I know that you have David Porter locked in the basement and we need him to meet with the Hanamuri guys. I also know that they will meet him at a nightclub called Siren Song. That’s where a lot of deals and information exchange goes down. That night club is run by a group called the Jeon Syndicate. We have to make a deal with their leader to let us go undercover into their club and protect David and also get information from the people he’s meeting.”

She went over his words slowly in her mind. “Is that what Wonho wanted to do alone? Why was he so emotional about it?”

Shownu stiffened up more than usual. “It’s a complicated issue, just do your best to keep him under control. That’s why I’m sending Hyungwon and Minhyuk with you. Hyungwon can do the talking.”

“Who’s the leader of the Jeon Syndicate?” Vy said.

“Her name is Chae Soo.”


	19. Chapter 19

The air was sweaty and cold when she awoke with a gasp. Her nightmares consisted of several strangers getting shot as their blood spilled all over her. All she could hear was the faint hissing coming from their overly open mouths. She shook it off and sat up. It was still dark outside when she glanced out the window. She saw a car pull up at that moment and a familiar figure stepped out of it.

Vy got dressed in a flash and ran down the stairs. She checked to see if anybody was around the foyer when Minhyuk walked in. When she saw nobody else, she ran to him. He put down his bag when he saw her and smiled as she dived straight into his arms.

Everything she held in, vanished as soon as she touched him. He stroked her hair as they embraced. She closed her eyes and tightened her arms. She felt a kiss at the top of her head and looked up at him.

He smiled widely at her and laughed as Vy began to feel embarrassed at her sudden attack. He leaned down and kissed her. She was lost. Her thoughts disappeared in that moment and all she could feel was pure happiness.

She let go of him when she felt her heart beating too wildly. He held on to her waist not wanting to let go.

Finally Minhyuk spoke with a timid smile on his face. “Can I always be greeted like that from now on?”

Vy laughed and put her hands on his chest, she could not stop touching him. As if he might vanish as soon as she let go.

Someone cleared their throat and Vy turned to see who it was. Wonho stood there looking awkwardly at the ground. His arms were crossed and he barely looked her in the eye.

“Sorry to interrupt, Shownu wants to see you right away Minhyuk,” Wonho said in a low voice.

He then left abruptly. Vy knit her eyebrows together watching him leave. Shownu had told her to keep an eye on him and all she saw since yesterday was a wild card of a man.

Minhyuk noticed Vy’s expression. “Are you alright?”

She looked back at him and shook her head. “No I’m okay, it’s just been a crazy few days. I’ve been getting used to the job.”

Minhyuk squeezed her hands gently. “If you ever want to talk about anything, please come to me. I’ll listen to it all. Can I come by your room after I’m done with Shownu?”

She nodded and hugged him one more time. “I’m really glad you’re back Minhyuk.”

When he turned around the corner out of her sight she sighed. A few minutes later the magic wore off and she was back to thinking about all the events from the past few days.

Her thoughts, in a desperate attempt to get away from the bridge massacre, shifted to her meeting with Shownu. When he told her Chae Soo was leader of the Jeon Syndicate it all started to make a little more sense. The risk of a gang war rested on Wonho’s ability to remain calm around his ex. She decided to shift her thoughts again.

On her way back to her room she remembered something vital. Something that needed to be dealt with right away.

She knocked on his door and was greeted by Changkyun. He saw her and his expression became sheepish. She was ushered inside and sat at his dining table. His room was neat and clean, there were comic books laid out on his bed.

“Hey,” she said.

He looked up at the ceiling and put his hands on his face. “I’m sorry I saw that. I know I wasn’t supposed to. I just have this really bad habit of hanging out in random places where people can’t see me-I know it’s weird…”

Vy looked at him calmly and leaned forward onto the table. “I know you weren’t trying to spy, but you should be careful now. Wonho would rip you apart for this you know that right?”

Changkyun gave a tired expression, “yeah I know…Are you going to tell him?”

Vy thought about it for a moment. From what she had seen he seemed like a good man. Though she wondered if that was her ‘green’ side coming out.

“Can I trust you?” Vy said.

Changkyun looked at her like his feelings were slightly hurt. She was about to apologize when he stopped her.

“No, I know what you mean. I’m the new guy, I haven’t bled with the boys yet. Nobody can trust the weirdo hiding in corners…” His thoughts seemed to drift to other places.

“Have you done this since you were a kid?” Vy said.

Changkyun looked around uncomfortably. “Yeah, I’ve just always enjoyed solitude. It was always fun for me to be the observer you know? I can’t explain it but it’s just my thing. Then people started catching on to my…specialty? Seems like the only thing I’m good at. And it’s probably the creepiest thing ever.” He sighed at the end of his rant and sat on his bed.

Vy chuckled lightly and shook her head when Changkyun was about to protest. “I just think it’s funny, it’s not even that weird. There are worse things you could be doing Changkyun, don’t worry about it.”

This time he looked her in the eyes when he said, “thank you Vy, really.”

Sun streamed through her window when she returned to her room. She decided to clean up before Minhyuk got there. A knock occurred at her door and she opened it expecting him.

“Hey babe,” Hyungwon leaned against the door frame.

He was a perfect combination of tall dark and handsome. A trench coat hung off his long body and he gave her a Cheshire Cat smile.

She gave him a puzzled look. “What’s up?”

“I just got the breakdown for the assignment. I’m leading it and we’re going tonight. Thought to let you know, and I just wanted to see you jagi…”

She pursed her lips at is seductive tone. “Okay, thanks…I heard that Wonho’s ex is who we have to meet with…” With each word her voice slowed down.

Hyungwon straightened up a bit more and cleared his throat. “Soo, yeah…she’s the one. It’s going to be interesting that’s for sure.” He looked away from her.

“Is there anything I should know before we do this?” Vy said.

Hyungwon paused to think. “Don’t trust anyone but us, don’t say anything, and keep an eye on Wonho.”

With the sound of a kiss he left and she could not help but giggle at his demeanour. As soon as she closed the door another knock occurred.

She opened the door and said, “Hyungwon if you call me jagi one more time-”

Minhyuk looked at her with a confused expression. “What was Hyungwon here for?”

She laughed at her mistake and pulled Minhyuk inside. They began to discuss the assignment. Minhyuk looked anxious about it and she wondered if he was worrying about Wonho as well.

“I’m worried that Wonho might have a hard time,” Vy said.

Minhyuk looked at the ground, “…Yeah, he will. It won’t be easy for anyone. I wish Shownu didn’t put you on this, you only just started and this is so dangerous. We’re going into -not quite enemy- but foreign territory. The Park family has no say on Hanamuri land. And if anything happens to you…”

She took his hand with a smile, “if I’m with you I know I’ll be okay…hope that wasn’t too cheesy.”

He was still tense but pulled her in for a hug. “Are you sure you’re okay? I heard about what happened at the bridge.”

Vy held him tightly, “It wasn’t fair, at all. But I need to be able to deal with it to do this job, and despite everything I want to do this. I want to be with you.”

His gaze held a look she could not fathom. It was almost as if his eyes appeared glassy. He then kissed her with an intense passion and once again she was numb to all that was around her.

*********

Later that night they took two cars, Vy went with Minhyuk while Hyungwon and Wonho went together. They parked in a dimly lit alley adjacent to the club. The air was wet and sticky with dew. When she breathed vapour would appear in front of her mouth and she shivered in the cold. Minhyuk took off his jacket and put it on her. His smell comforted the knot of worry in her stomach.

A large sign was lit up in the front entrance and Vy was surprised to see a very scantily clad woman smoking by the venue. She wore beaded chains and a g string. It looked too intense for the clubs she was thinking of.

She leaned over to Minhyuk. “What kind of club is this?”

Hyungwon overheard and clasped a hand around her shoulder leading her towards the entrance ahead of the other two. “Nobody told you? This might be a bit awkward, it’s a nightclub…and a strip club.”

Vy raised her eyebrows in comprehension and a flurry of emotions went through her. She hated being unprepared for it and was anxious about meeting Chae Soo but she got it together and nodded. Hyungwon opened the door for her and she walked inside.

It was huge and oddly classy looking which was the opposite of what she expected. The interior had thick red velvet curtains and two stair cases on the side that led to another level downstairs. It seems the first level contained the club and a large bar as she saw many people dancing and ordering drinks. She noticed that bouncers stood in front of the two staircases leading downstairs.

A large man with a clipboard walked up to them. He dripped with natural intimidation as his biceps were roughly larger than her head.

“Name.” He said.

“Hyungwon.”

The man looked surprised at his name and led them downstairs past the other bouncers and she saw a whole other world. There were three brightly lit catwalks along rows of velvet covered tables. Women wearing almost nothing danced atop them while people drank and enjoyed their company. They walked past a man getting a lap dance from a beautiful woman wearing a skimpy one piece.

They stopped in a quieter area near the back of the vicinity and the bouncer told them to wait.

“She will be here soon Mr. Chae,” he said looking at Hyungwon.

Vy thought she misheard, she looked at Hyungwon. “Wait, what’s your whole name?”

He was about to speak when a woman in a blue dress walked in. She had voluminous brown hair and red stained lips. Her nails were painted and filed to a dangerous point while her fingers and neck were laced with minimal gold jewelry. The neckline of her dress was cut past her cleavage and she walked with the air of a cloud though her stiletto heels had the impact of a hammer. She stopped in front of Hyungwon and flashed him a dazzling smile.

“Oppa, how I’ve missed you…”

Vy’s jaw dropped even though she tried not to react. Her eyes met with Soo’s and she felt like a speck of dirt on the ground. If looks could kill this woman was a mass murderer.

Hyungwon looked strained and took the hand she offered. “Soo, I have some business to discuss with you.”

“Straight to the point, I didn’t expect anything less. Though I would have hoped after so long you might wonder how I’ve been doing,” Soo said with a slight frown. 

Vy could feel the tension in the room growing exponentially. She had no idea why her heart started beating so fast but she could feel it pounding in her ears. She saw Wonho move from her peripheral and noticed how tense he was. His arms were locked in a crossed state and though he tried to look casual, waves of discomfort rippled from his forced figure.

“Minhyuk, it’s been a while…” she said trailing off and glancing at Wonho.

She started to saunter towards him when Hyungwon stopped her. As soon as his hand touched her arm, a group of bouncers took out their guns. Minhyuk pushed Vy behind him and Wonho and Hyungwon stood there in the standoff.

Melodious laughter filled the air. “Boys, calm down. He’s my brother, he would never hurt me,” Soo said.

She gently hooked her arm through Hyungwon’s as the men put their guns down. Vy felt like a statue, even if she wanted to move the air was so thick she could barely breathe.

Soo looked at Wonho with an unidentifiable expression, “Wonho…how are you?”

Vy had never seen him look the way he did in that moment. She had gotten to know him for a while and she saw many moments of rage, many moments of annoyance, but this was different. There was a depth that went far below anything she had seen before.

He forced his face into apathy as he replied to her, “Living the dream, as usual.”

Soo looked like she wanted to say more but she refrained. Her eyes then snapped to Vy. Once again Vy felt like she was being stabbed with a serrated knife. A cold chill ran through her body.

“Who is she?”

It was Minhyuk that spoke, he put a hand on Vy’s back. “She’s one of us.”

Soo glanced between Minhyuk and Vy, raising an eyebrow. She nodded at Vy and all Vy could do was stare. Soo then let Hyungwon escort her to a private booth where they could talk.

The men showed Minhyuk, Vy, and Wonho to a table. A waitress brought them drinks. She wore a lacy black corset that lifted her breasts dramatically. Vy felt very offset by the alluring environment and the danger they were truly in.

Minhyuk scanned the room eyeing every single bouncer while Wonho glared at the booth Soo was in. Vy decided to observe the area around her and determine where all the exits were.

A loud song came on and everyone cheered as the stage lit up with a spotlight. A gorgeous dark woman walked on stage with a pastel pink two piece on. She looked like a chocolate dream and every man around the room seemed to think so as well. Vy watched the way she swayed her hips to the song and walked up to a pole on centre stage.

She had been to strip clubs before on rowdy post bar trips with her friends a long time ago. Though it was not quite as upscale as this place was. There was an air of vanity and grace among the unavoidable seediness that came with all clubs.

After a while Hyungwon came back looking annoyed and worried. Vy stood up when he approached her.

“Do you need me for something?” Vy said.

Hyungwon came to the table as Wonho and Minhyuk listened in closely.

“She’s going to help us out. But we have to play by her rules, I’ll explain more when we get back. For now though, she wants to talk to you Vy.”

Vy looked at Hyungwon like he spoke a foreign language. “What?”

“She said she’ll be be cooperative, but she wants to speak with Vy.”

Both Minhyuk and Wonho spoke, “Why?”

Hyungwon shrugged. “I don’t know why, but Vy be careful don’t reveal anything. She will take everything you say and figure things out from between the lines.”

Vy nodded and walked over to the booth. Her legs felt heavy and her heart raced. She wished she was not so intimidated by this woman but it was incredibly hard not to be.

The booth was shielded with a translucent black curtain that a guard held up for her when she arrived. Soo did not look at her until she sat down.

“Hello, Vy.”

“H-hi…”

“So you’re the newest member of the Clan hmm,” Soo studied her face while sipping on a glass of wine, “how did you meet them?”

Vy hated being questioned like this and did not want to give vital information away though she had no choice but to answer. She thought it best not to lie.

“I ran away from home.”

Soo smiled at Vy. “Seems the best option for a poor situation, doesn’t it?”

Vy nodded.

“Oppa will give you the details but on the day the meeting goes down two of you will work for me, the other two will be guests. Vy, you will work for me and that means you’ll need to come here earlier than the rest to get dressed and briefed by one of my girls.”

“Dressed?”

Soo smirked at her, “you look like you have a nice body underneath all that. So be prepared.”

“I’m sorry, prepared for what exactly?”

Soo laughed at Vy’s confusion. “You’ll be going undercover as one of my strippers.”


	20. Chapter 20

Someone flicked on the lights in the boardroom. It took a second for the pulsing fluorescent to flicker on but soon the room was lit up. Wonho, Minhyuk, Hyungwon, and Vy entered the room with Shownu. Shownu shut the door and sat at the end of the table. Wonho stood leaning in the corner while the rest of them sat down.

“So, how did it go?” Shownu said.

Hyungwon spoke, “She’ll do it. I didn’t tell her we’re suspecting the Hanamuri. For all we know it could be a fringe branch unrelated to her group. Regardless, we’ll owe her a favour after this. A big one. Minhyuk and Wonho will go in as guests, while Vy and I will be employees. I’ll bartend so we can place David close to the bar,” he glanced at Vy and hesitated, “…Vy will…um-”

“I’m going to be a stripper.”

Wonho snorted and could barely stifle his laughter.

“Are you okay with that?” Minhyuk said.

“There’s no choice and I want to make sure we do this well, so yeah I guess I’m okay with it. She said I’d have to be there earlier.”

Shownu took in what they said. “Okay, so when we get the call, Hyungwon will notify Soo. I’ll give you all earpieces to stay in contact and go in armed. Let’s keep this low key. Hyungwon you’re in charge. Bring David back alive, we still need him and we promised him safety.”

There was silence and they started to break off when Wonho said, “And we’re just going to trust her? Just like that?”

Vy felt the weight of the room increase.

“We’re not going to trust her. At all. But we need her right now, I just can’t see any other way,” Hyungwon said.

Hyungwon looked down at the table and stared at his hands. His gaze became increasingly distant.

“She’s a part of this, I know she is. And I’m gonna find out what it is. She would never help us out, she’s a fucking demon, “ Wonho said. With each word his voice rose with anger.

Minhyuk frowned and guided Vy out of the room. “That’s enough Wonho, we already decided to do this. Let’s just get it done.”

On that note everyone dispersed. Minhyuk went back to his room while Vy went to the main kitchen after telling him she would come by later. When she pulled out a cup of ramen she saw Wonho from the corner of her eye. He leaned on the counter trying to look nonchalant. Vy could not help but smile at his childlike attitude.

She pulled out another cup of ramen and heated the water. After a few minutes of boiling she poured it into both cups and set them on the table. After sitting down she pushed one of the other chairs with her foot. Wonho came and sat down. He scarfed down the ramen that Vy was sure was scalding.

“Are you alright?” Vy said.

He looked at her and forced a smirk. “Did you think I would break down into tears? I’m not sad, I’m pissed.”

“She’s…certainly something.”

Wonho looked at her with a glare. “She’s nothing but a fucking witch, she’ll eat you alive if that’s what she needs to get by.”

He drank the rest of his ramen and crushed the cup in his hands. The chair made a screeching sound as he stood up and walked away.

Vy let out a breath and opened up her cup. Her stomach churned and the smell went from delicious to nauseating. She then heard a phone ring from the hallway. The ringtone sounded oddly familiar.

She went to the sound and saw Wonho running to the basement. She followed him down to the cell. When she caught him he quickly pressed the keypad to the cell door. David was laying down when they rushed inside. Wonho shoved the phone in his hand and put it on speaker.

“H-hello?” David said.

“Saturday night, eleven forty five. Bring it all,” that same drunken voice said.

The call then ended as David was about to say something. Wonho took the phone from him and checked the number. It was a private caller.

“Looks like we have our time now,” Vy said.

Wonho crossed his arms while deep in thought. “Yeah…we do.”

David sat down and put his head in his hands. “Can someone help me get my things for them?”

“Yeah I’ll go with you tomorrow morning. The day after tomorrow is when its going down so be prepared. Vy send a group text to Shownu, Minhyuk, and Hyungwon about when we’re going.”

She went back to her room and sent the message. Her mind was stirring with various thoughts. It ended up revolving around Soo. Vy could sense Wonho was on edge but despite that there was a part of her that believed there was more to that woman than a glamorous smile. There was a danger, there was something dark. It made Vy’s stomach churn in uneasiness.

Then her thoughts moved towards her first undercover role. Of all the things she thought she would be doing, stripping was far from her list. She stood up and went to the mirror in the bathroom. Her reflection looked tired and sleepy. She went on her tiptoes and examined her body, pulling her shirt up. A sigh escaped her lips and she went back to her bed and collapsed in it.

She woke up in the same position she fell asleep in. Her legs hung from the side of the bed and she got up in a daze. The sun brightly lit up her room and she realized it was morning.

“Shit…”

After showering and brushing her teeth, she went to Minhyuk’s room. He opened it looking fresh and smiled at her.

“I’m so sorry, I meant to come to your room, but I fell asleep,” she said.

He nodded and led her inside. Then he handed her a bowl and spoon along with a box of cereal. They sat at the table together and had breakfast. Vy just looked at him while he ate. There was something so normal about what they were doing, yet when she thought about what they would have to do, this felt like a dream.

“Did you know Soo?” Vy said.

Minhyuk put down his spoon and glanced at her. “Yes I knew her, we all did to some degree.”

“Can you tell me what happened? I don’t need to know details but since we’re working with her I think it would help me to know who we’re dealing with…” Vy tried to be careful with her words.

“Well there’s not much for me to say, but when I first met her, she was very kind. Not the way she is now…I don’t know what happened exactly, but she hurt him. She betrayed him, and when he wanted to confront her about it, the situation escalated to the point where she almost killed him.”

“That’s…awful. To be betrayed by someone you love like that, I couldn’t imagine,” Vy paused to think about Wonho’s usual demeanour and did not realize how much pain he carried with him. “Wait, what about Hyungwon. Soo is his sister?” The shock of it hit her again.

“Yeah, it’s like a soap opera isn’t it?” Minhyuk said and chuckled. “They are siblings, but ever since the incident they never talked to each other. They’re not really supposed to.”

Vy gave him a confused look.

He sighed. “It’s a long story, but Soo was a member of the Clan, Hyungwon didn’t want her to do it, but she joined anyways. Then her and Wonho got together. Everything was good until she just…changed. Her group, the Jeon Syndicate is under the Hanamuri family, not the Park family. We’re technically not allowed to associate with each other. Hopefully what we’re doing won’t cause too much waves…She broke Hyungwon’s heart…she hurt all of us.”

“I’m so sorry that happened, it’s a terrible thing when someone close to you just leaves like that,” Vy said.

She got up and stood behind Minhyuk’s chair. She wrapped her arms around him and gave him a hug. He closed his eyes and leaned his head on her. He then twisted around and pulled her onto his lap. She was surprised at his sudden movement but smiled when he held her close.

“When I’m with you, I just feel like this amazing person,” Minhyuk said. His eyes bore into hers. “Only you give me that, no one else.”

They touched noses and she closed her eyes taking a deep breath. “I never thought that I would have this, I never thought this was possible. I love you Minhyuk.“

He kissed her passionately and deeply as she wrapped her arms around him.


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Recommended listening for this chapter: Era Istrefi - Bonbon
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxc1ufJxPGM
> 
> youtube link to the song^
> 
> Also a moodboard in the middle :)

The car engine revved as Hyungwon shifted gears. The sun had already set and black clouds sat in the sky. It looked like it might rain as they drove down the busy streets of downtown. It was a Saturday night and they caught the tail end of rush hour. Vy took deep breaths to calm herself.

“Nervous?” Hyungwon said staring at the road.

“A little bit…”

“Don’t be, just trust yourself. Trust your gut. All we have to do tonight is watch him and bring him home. Easy peasy.” He winked at her.

She smiled. “You’re not as bad as I thought.”

“Ooh be careful jagiya, you don’t want me after you, I might just steal your heart.”

Vy laughed and silently thanked him for relieving the tension she felt. Though as soon as they parked behind the club it returned. A bouncer greeted them when they reached the doors.

They entered through the back and Vy could hear the music echo through the walls. They passed a couple hallways that were bustling with people, some were topless women, cleaners, and kitchen staff.

The man branched to the left and led Vy to a bright red door. “You go here,” he said.

She looked at Hyungwon suddenly feeling like a child being taken to the bus stop for the first time. He smiled at her encouragingly and whispered ‘good luck’. She nodded and took a deep breath.

The door opened to a large room filled with racks of clothes. There were rows of vanity stations with bright lights circling oval shaped mirrors. It was very expensive looking and she barely wanted to touch anything. There were many women running around naked, some were putting on makeup, while others stood there talking on the phone. A woman rushed passed her and bumped her arm, she glared at Vy who tried to move but instead she bumped into someone else.

“Bitch get the fuck outta here, go clean somewhere else!” One woman said in passing.

Vy panicked and was about walk out when someone grabbed her arm. It was a young looking woman with long black hair, she wore blue lingerie and had a small feather tucked behind her ear.

“Are you…Vy?” Her almond shaped eyes were wide with questions.

“Y-yes…”

The woman smiled brightly and grabbed Vy by the shoulder and dragged her to a vanity. “Great! My name is Lana, I was told to assist you tonight as it’s your first day! That’s so exciting, I remember my first day I was so nervous,” she lowered her voice, “and some of these girls are as scary as they are beautiful…” She continued to talk about how the girls were at the club while she casually started taking off Vy’s clothing.

When Lana lifted the seams of her tank top, Vy reflexively pushed Lana’s hand away.

“Are you nervous about the clothes? I promise I won’t get you anything too extreme for your first night, that’s always a bit scary. But don’t worry, just think of it like…you’re shooting a movie!” Lana smiled at Vy with such a sincere expression that Vy had to smile back.

Lana signalled her to wait there and in a flash she returned with an outfit. It looked like a children’s size the way it hung from the hanger. When Lana saw Vy’s expression she laughed and shook her head.

“It’s okay! It stretches, and it’s a one piece so you won’t feel too naked. We’ll build up to that,” Lana winked at her. “Oh here, and take these fishnets, a classic!“

She took Vy’s arm once again and led her to a corner of the room that was less busy and pushed her behind the clothing racks.

“You can change here, I’ll keep watch for you.”

Vy took the hanger from her. “Thank you…Lana.”

The item felt foreign and tight as she had never worn anything like it before. Though the fabric was somewhat soft and not irritating. Even though this was apparently one of the more conservative pieces she felt absolutely naked. The black lace was cut dangerously thin around her rear and she felt completely exposed. The front of it was shaped like a corset but cut extremely low. The fishnets ran up to her thighs and hooked onto the garter she put on. She stepped out slowly and when Lana saw her she practically yelled.

“You look gorgeous! Who knew what you were hiding underneath all that, damn girl!” She grabbed Vy’s hand and threw her into a chair. “Okay time for makeup, I’m thinking sexy smoky eye to go with the black concept. Yeah…oh yeah…”

She smiled wickedly grabbing a brush with one hand and Vy’s face with another.

The lights were bright when she entered the downstairs club area, the change rooms had a hallway, but that led to the stage so Lana took her through the regular entry. Before she got there a delicately firm hand stopped her. She turned to see Soo, in a fiery red two piece that dripped with sensual energy.

She was taken aback by Soo’s beauty. Her body was model worthy and she wore long stiletto heels making her lean calf muscles stand out. Soo towered over her and smiled.

“You look lovely Vy, I’m glad you took this so well,” Soo said. “I understand that Wonho and Minhyuk just arrived, they’re sitting two booths away from David adjacent to the bar. You’re to bring drinks to tables and try not to catch anyone’s eye, they might want a dance…” She smirked and went out the door.

Vy’s heart pounded loudly as she stepped out into the club. There were a lot of people there. She saw several people getting dances, there was so much touching and drinking. The stage had a few topless dancers that did complicated formations on the poles. She exhaled as the bass of the music went right through her body. A part of her would prefer a gang war to walking into the room dressed the way she was. She shook it off and Lana slapped her back gently. Vy maintained balance in her black high heels and moved forward.

She saw Hyungwon at the bar and walked over to him with a tray that Lana gave her. Her breaths were small and fast but she tried to relax. She thought about all the obstacles she endured up until this point and tried to give herself a mental pep talk. Hyungwon was about to place a shot glass on her tray when he took a look at her.

The small glass fell from his hand and the liquid spilled all over the counter.

“…Vy? Holy shit.”

“Please…I know it’s ridiculous, just don’t say anything.”

“No…it’s not that…” He blinked a few times and shook his head. “Um, here’s your ear piece, the four of us are connected now. Make it look like you’re picking up your earring then put it in your ear.”

She did as she was told and heard light static in her right ear. Then she heard Minhyuk whisper her name. His voice gave her a bit of peace.

She spoke low, “can everyone hear me?”

“Don’t say unnecessary things,” it was Wonho’s voice.

Hyungwon laughed and passed her two shots, “Take these to their table.”

She found where Wonho and Minhyuk sat and approached their table. They were looking around for someone and barely noticed her. Minhyuk’s eyes glazed over her and she saw Wonho staring into space. She bent over and set the shots on their table loudly. They both turned at the same time to see her. For a moment they looked at her like she was someone else.

Once the recognition hit Minhyuk seized up like a statue and Wonho’s jaw dropped. He closed it immediately. Minhyuk remained wide eyed.

“Vy?” Minhyuk said.

“Yeah…”

Minhyuk and Wonho just stared at her with shocked expressions. She became uncomfortable and started to walk away when Minhyuk gently grabbed her hand.

“Please be careful, you look…too sexy,” Minhyuk almost sounded breathless.

Wonho stared at her unashamedly and only looked away when their eyes met.

“Guys keep your eyes on David will you,” Hyungwon said through the earpiece.

David sat alone two booths away looking purely dismal and anxious. He had a drink in his hand and sipped on it every few seconds.

Hyungwon spoke again through the earpiece, “I see two men approaching his booth, show time.”

Vy took their empty shot glasses and walked back to the bar. Hyungwon instructed her to go to David’s table and ask them if they needed anything. She walked over as the men sat down with David. It alarmed her when they looked around and stopped their gaze at Minhyuk and Wonho’s table.

“You guys need to look less static, they’re starting to stare,” Hyungwon’s voice said.

Vy approached the men with a flirty smile and distracted them for a moment. She overheard a bit of their conversation.

“Long time no see hey buddy? I hope after our long friendship, you wouldn’t fuck with us, you’re not fucking with us are you David?”

“N-no I’m not sir.”

“Good!” He clasped a hand around David’s shoulder and looked over at the other man, “Keep an eye out for unwanted guests.”

She walked back to the bar and prayed they stopped noticing Wonho and Minhyuk. Hyungwon handed her a few drinks to pass around and she was about to pick up her tray when she noticed Soo making her way towards Minhyuk and Wonho. Her silky brown hair bounced lightly as she walked.

“What is she doing?” Hyungwon said.

Soo gracefully stepped into their booth and Wonho immediately clenched up. Vy was not sure what was happening.

That was when Soo went over to Minhyuk and placed a long slender leg beside him. She leaned over and stroked his face with a sexy pout and sat on his lap. Vy’s stomach dropped to the floor as she saw Soo gyrating her hips against Minhyuk’s body and touching him in every way possible. Soo leaned her chest close to Minhyuk’s face and Vy heard a liquid cool voice in her ear.

“You’re welcome, they won’t watch you anymore.”

Vy’s face heated up as she saw Soo’s lips run across Minhyuk’s face. He was frozen. Her eyes then met with Soo and she could barely breathe. Hyungwon grew alarmed as he looked between Vy and their booth.

Wonho got up and stormed to the bar. He pretended to order a drink as Vy stood stock still. She felt like crying as every part of her wanted to tear Soo to shreds. When she saw the way Soo moved her body and how Minhyuk uncontrollably reacted, her heart broke into little pieces. Soo took Minhyuk’s hand and placed it on her chest, running it across her stomach.

Vy drank a shot from her tray and served all her tables in a flash. She became engrossed in her job and all she did was go back and forth without a second thought. Hyungwon and Wonho occasionally glanced at her wondering if she was okay but she ignored them.

When she got back for a third round a loud man approached her from behind. He slapped her rear and cupped it with his hand. She reflexively grabbed his wrist and twisted it as she turned to face him.

“What the fuck bitch?” He said rubbing his hand. He was greying and had a small entourage behind him wearing expensive suits.

“You’re spending the night with me slut, come on now, give daddy a dance.” He grabbed her arm and she refused to go with him.

The man started yelling at her and she noticed people begin to stare. She prayed for something to silence him before they created too much of a scene.

An arm wrapped around her shoulders, it was Wonho. He gave the man a wry grin.

“Sorry man, I paid her for a dance already.”

Wonho pulled Vy away and they want to an empty table. The older man was still watching them with a glare. Wonho looked troubled but he ran his hand down her arm and whispered in her ear.

“I’m sorry…I thought this would be better than leaving you with him.”

She finally realized what he was apologizing for and felt mortified at the thought. Her heart pulsed wildly and she looked over at Minhyuk who stared at their table. He looked like he was in pain. Soo was still sitting on his lap and played with his hair in an infuriating fashion. She took Minhyuk’s face and put it between her breasts.

Vy set her tray down and took three shots. She pushed Wonho down onto the chair ignoring his shocked expression.

“Let’s do this.”


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is spicy... ;)
> 
> Recommended listening for the lap dance: Britney Spears - Inside Out
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ntNlH2AcFk
> 
> Youtube link to the song^

A song came on that she recognized as she pushed Wonho down on the chair. He looked at her nervously and she began to feel the alcohol setting in. She hopped onto his lap with both her legs wrapped around him.

He braced himself against the back of the couch but there was nowhere to escape. She felt the roughness of his jeans against her inner thighs and began to move. She took her hands and ran them along his chest. Raising her hips she arched her back.

Her chest grazed his face and she could feel him starting to respond to her movement. He placed a hand on her thigh lightly at first, but with each slow thrust his grip tightened.

She rose up and he ran his hands down the length of her body. His hands stopped at her lower back.

“Vy…” he whispered.

She slid off and danced in front of him. Her waist swayed side to side with the music and she turned around and bent over. Her hair flipped around her neck as she touched herself and spun in a slow circle rotating her hips.

Once again she climbed on top of him, this time he faced her back. She took his hands and placed them on the front of her body as she gyrated against his ever hardening form. Wonho’s hands began to wander without her direction, he ran his hands over her chest and put a hand on her neck. She leaned back and felt his lips on her ear. He panted in short hot breaths.

She started to turn her face, Wonho’s lips grazed her cheek. They inched closer to her lips.

“GUYS. They’re taking David somewhere,” Hyungwon’s voice rang through her ears.

Like a bucket of ice fell on her body she woke up from her tipsy state. She hopped off of him and looked for Minhyuk. He was no longer at his booth and was nowhere to be seen. Wonho stood up and they looked at each other awkwardly. Her face was flaming hot.

“I…um-they probably took him to the back. Let’s go,” Wonho said.

Vy’s head was still spinning when they ran past various people to the back of the club. Wonho charged through the door into a brightly lit hallway. She squinted at the brightness in contrast to the dim lighting of the club.

“Minhyuk, where are you?” Wonho said.

“They’re taking him outside, I’m going in!” Minhyuk’s voice said.

Wonho and Vy ran through the hallways. They pushed people aside and received angry glares. They ran through the back door to see Minhyuk grappling with one of the men who took David. The other man grabbed a steel bar from the alley and hit Minhyuk across the back. He yelled out loud and Vy winced as her earpiece buzzed.

Wonho grabbed the second man and smashed his head against a car. Vy ran to David and escorted him where Hyungwon was waiting. He was in the driver’s seat of their car and engine was running.

“Take him!” Vy said.

“We have to go!” Hyungwon said.

“What about Minhyuk and Wonho?”

A gunshot fired through the air. Vy looked back in panic to see Wonho and Minhyuk running towards the car. She shoved David into the side and ran to the passenger seat. Hyungwon pulled up in front of them. Minhyuk and Wonho dove into the backseat and shut the door.

Hyungwon accelerated away from the scene as a gunshot hit the bumper of their car. Vy held onto the dash and looked behind her.

“Are you okay? Is anyone hurt?” She said.

They both were panting and Minhyuk said no. His lip was bleeding and Vy’s heart felt squeezed when he looked into her eyes.

When they got back to the apartment David was escorted back to his cell by Minhyuk. They all sat at the main entrance. Vy put on Minhyuk’s jacket to cover herself.

“What happened, it was just two of them right?” Hyungwon said.

“Soo’s bouncers got involved and started helping them, I told you not to trust that bitch,” Wonho said.

“Well at least we succeeded and brought him back. It’s been a long night, let him rest and we can talk in the morning,” Hyungwon said.

Minhyuk walked in and Hyungwon collected all their earpieces.

"Good job tonight you guys, we’re going to get to the bottom of this,” Hyungwon said. Then he turned to Wonho, “let’s go meet with Shownu.”

As they left Minhyuk and Vy were left alone. Vy felt even more exposed than she was at the club, the air was empty and cold. Minhyuk faced her and they just stared at each other.

“I’m sorry-” they said at the same time.

They went upstairs together and Vy stopped at his door. He led her inside and she stood there feeling an array of emotions. The alcohol buzzed in her head.

Minhyuk took her hands. “Vy I’m sorry you had to see that, I don’t know what the hell she was thinking…”

Vy looked up at him. “I’m sorry about what I did, Wonho only did it so I wouldn’t have to deal with some creep.”

"Can we just forget about the whole thing?”

Vy nodded. Minhyuk grabbed her head and kissed her. It was different from the other times. It was more tense. His jacket slid off her body and fell to the floor. He ran his hands along her body further than ever before. He escorted her to the bed and laid her down. She wrapped her arms and legs around him as he climbed on top of her.

He kissed her deeply and squeezed her thighs. His hips rocked against her body and she knew what he wanted. She could feel the heat between her legs. Their tongues collided and danced together as Minhyuk ran his hands down her chest and squeezed her breasts. Vy gave out a little moan. He pulled off his shirt and she saw the lean muscles of his torso. He continued to kiss her lips, neck, and then went down her body.

In seconds her outfit was gone and her head spun as he kissed and licked every inch of her. All she could feel was him. Every touch, every smell, every taste was all him.

He hovered over her, erection in hand, and stared deeply into her eyes as he entered her slowly, “you’re mine. Only mine.”

With each thrust he repeated the words, gaining speed and going in deeper. She arched her back as he drove himself inside her.

Everything fell away. Her moans echoed through his room and they lost themselves in the heated moment.

********* ********* ********* ********* 

She woke up to see Minhyuk sleeping beside her. Her body was tucked under the covers and she stretched beneath them. Not wanting to wake him, she carefully slid off the bed and went to the washroom.

On her way out of his apartment she looked at him one more time, cherishing the sweet look he had on his sleeping face.

After showering and changing she went downstairs and saw Shownu, Wonho, and Hyungwon in the boardroom. They looked haggard and tired.

“Have you guys not gone to sleep yet?” She said.

Hyungwon glanced up at her and yawned. “Yeah what time is it?”

Vy took out her phone. “It’s about six in the morning.”

She realized she had only gotten about four hours of sleep. It was going to be a long day.

Shownu and Wonho rubbed their faces and began to organize the files around the table.

“What were you guys doing?” She said.

“We wanted to go through the invoices you and Wonho found, with the other evidence David gave to the guys last night,” Hyungwon said.

“Vy can you go get him? It’s time we talked,” Shownu said.

She nodded and walked down the hallway. The basement door was ajar which was odd as it was usually closed. She payed no mind and went down the stairs.

When she turned towards the rooms she stopped in her tracks. A cell door was open. It was the one David was in. She called his name but there was no answer.

“Guys! There’s something wrong!” She called up the stairs.

She approached the door with caution and pushed it open further. The lights were off and all she could see was darkness. She felt for the light switch and flicked them on.

She almost screamed at what she saw and stepped back almost running into Wonho.

“What’s going on?” he said from behind her.

When Vy did not reply he looked into the room and froze. Shownu and Hyungwon caught up with them wondering what was going on.

There was David, laying on the floor in a pool of blood. His throat had been cut open and he had bled out through the night.

Vy put a hand to her mouth and held back the tears that wanted to come out. “Who did this?”

Shownu walked into the cell, avoiding the blood and took a look around. He squatted next to David’s body and examined him.

He faced the rest of them with a grave expression. “Lock down the building. Nobody leaves the premises.”


	23. Chapter 23

The heater buzzed loudly in the boardroom. The noise stung the silence with its aggressive growling. Each of them sat around the table with a cold draft creeping around the room. The air felt heavy and dense.

Jooheon and Changkyun joined Vy, Hyungwon, Minhyuk, Wonho, and Shownu. Both of them were unsure of why the atmosphere of the room was so dark. Vy nodded at Jooheon when he smiled at her.

When everyone was gathered, Shownu closed the door. He went back to the front of the and put his hands on the table.

“There’s been a murder, and until further notice, we have to investigate everyone here. Aside from Hyungwon and Wonho, since the three of us stayed up all night working.”

“What? Who died?” Jooheon said.

“We had a prisoner here, helping us with a case. But early last night someone killed him before we could get more information. Unless someone followed us and figured out the combinations, which I doubt, it’s someone here,” Shownu said.

“Isn’t our only hitman Kihyun?” Jooheon said.

Hyungwon spoke this time, “he’s on an overseas assignment. He won’t be back until next week.”

An awkward silence filled the room.

“I know this is hard and I want it to be untrue, but we need to cover all possibilities,” said Shownu.

“The last person to see David was Minhyuk,” Wonho said. Vy glared at him as he continued, “but the body has only been dead for a few hours. Where were you last night Minhyuk?”

“He was with me all night…” Vy said. 

Minhyuk and her both looked at the table when her statement sunk into the group. Jooheon gasped quietly while Wonho shifted in his seat.

“Okay, who all knew about David being here?” Shownu said.

They ticked off those who knew about David, including Wonho, Vy, Minhyuk, Shownu, and Hyungwon. That was when Vy felt a sliver of fear down her throat. She looked at Changkyun who seemed anxious. Their eyes met and he stared at her for a long time. He silently pleaded her to not do what she was going to do. What she had to do.

“I’m sorry…” she said. Everyone looked at her. “There’s one more person who knew about David. Changkyun saw him when Wonho and I brought him the first time.”

Wonho jumped out of his seat. “What?”

“I thought it wasn’t a big deal at the time…” Vy said. She hated how childish she sounded.

Wonho stormed around the table and grabbed Changkyun by the scruff of his shirt. He slammed open the door and dragged him out.

“Wonho what are you doing!” Jooheon said.

Vy got up and ran after them. “We don’t even know anything yet!”

There were multiple protests as Changkyun was dragged to the basement and thrown in a cell. Everyone went downstairs and Shownu eventually made his way to the scene.

“Jooheon where were you last night?” Shownu said.

“You can check my computer logs, I’ve been working on it all night.”

Shownu then went and leaned on the door frame of Changkyun’s new cell.

“Changkyun what were you doing last night?”

He looked as though he was about to be burned at the stake. “I was reading and then slept until this meeting. Got up once for a glass of milk.”

Vy looked into his eyes and could not see the signs of a murderer. Her heart ached at the thought of putting him in the line of fire but she had to tell the truth.

Shownu looked grim. “Is there no one who can confirm where you were?”

Changkyun merely shook his head as he stared at the floor. His hands gripped the sides of the bed.

“Okay, Changkyun, nobody is suspecting you yet. We just need to confirm a few things. You’ll need to stay here until we do that, okay?” Said Shownu.

He silently nodded and lifted his feet up onto the bed. Vy caught his eye expecting anger or resentment, she only received gloom.

They went upstairs back to the boardroom. Hyungwon left with Jooheon to check his computer.

“I don’t think he did it…” Vy said, “he’s not a cold blooded killer.”

Minhyuk spoke, “sometimes people do things you could never imagine. He was the only one who knew that wasn’t on the assignment. Why did he keep it a secret? You were only being a good friend but it’s his responsibility to own up to that kind of thing.”

“We need to get information out of him. Now,” Wonho said.

"What the hell does that mean?” Vy said.

Wonho eyed the basement door with an angry look. “There are faster ways to do this.”

“Please Shownu, we don’t know anything! We can’t just torture him, he’s one of us!” Vy said.

Shownu placed a hand to his temple and closed his eyes. “We need to look into this as soon as possible,” he said. “Wonho and Vy, you two look into the leads we found last night. Minhyuk I need you to trace out any possibility someone broke in.”

“We don’t have time!” Wonho said.

Vy put a hand on his arm. “Please, we owe it to him as a member to at least look at one lead before condemning him on suspicion. Don’t you feel it too? There’s something wrong here.”

Wonho looked at her and she saw various things running through his mind. She half expected him to push her aside and storm into the basement. However, he nodded without a word. Shownu raised his brows slightly but said nothing.

They broke away and began their assignments. Wonho met Vy by the doors and led her to his car. She asked him where they were going and he put the vehicle in park and pulled something out of his pocket.

“During the fight last night, I grabbed one of their wallets. We were cross checking his identity and he’s in the lower ranks of the Hanamuri. This isn’t the main guy that talked to David, it’s the second one.”

Vy nodded as they were off on the road. Small bumps and potholes made her head bob so she tried to lean her head back. Her shoulders were tense and pulled against her movement. After a moment she could not help but blurt out her thoughts again.

“Do you really think Changkyun did it? I just can’t see him doing that.”

Wonho was silent for several seconds before he said, “I can’t be sure. I might have killed him right away...But you're right, there’s something strange about all of this. The sooner we find out the better.”

They found the address of the second man from the club. Wonho parked down the street and turned the engine off. He was about to get out of the car when Vy stopped him.

“Let’s not torture anyone today. I want to watch him, let’s see what he does,” Vy said.

Wonho was about to protest when she pleaded him to listen to her. They sat in silence.

Vy saw the clouds vanish away into a clear sky. The sun gleamed off a broken glass bottle along the road. She glanced at the clock after the first hour hoping they would see something soon. Sitting for too long made her legs restless and she could feel Wonho’s ever growing impatience. 

She thought about Changkyun, about the way he looked when all his colleagues abandoned him. Not one person fought for him. She felt the guilt creep in.

“Look,” Wonho said.

There was a figure coming out of the house. It was the man they were looking for. He walked over to a grey SUV and climbed in.

Wonho started the car when the SUV pulled out of the driveway. They began to follow it. Vy was worried the man would catch on but Wonho stayed well behind him. There were two to three cars in between them. She tried to get a look at his face but the distance was too great and her memory of last night got foggier by the minute.

The man went onto the highway as did they. Vy noticed they were going downtown. From the roads they took she had a feeling about where they were going.

“Is he going to Siren Song?” She said.

The SUV stopped in front of the club as Wonho parked in an alley away from it. They got out of the car and observed him from the side of a building.

The man went inside and came out only five minutes later. He went back to his car and drove off. They ran back to their car to pursue him.

A few blocks later he turned onto a street which housed expensive apartment buildings. It was lined with gleaming silver towers that had balconies sprinkled in neat lines along the sides. His car vanished inside the underground parking of a building. They were about to follow when suddenly Wonho cursed aloud bashing his hand on the dashboard. Vy jumped and saw a sudden rage boiling on his face.

“What’s wrong?” She said.

He veered into a parking spot and slammed on the brakes. His eyes were dark and filled with rage as he stared at the building.

“Soo lives there.”


	24. Chapter 24

Vy eyed the building carefully. It had been a couple hours and there was no sign of the man. She wondered if he knew he was being followed.

A knock occurred on the window and it was a parking guard. Wonho casually blew it off and they left before causing any suspicion. His knuckles were white from gripping the steering wheel too tightly.

“I knew she was in this, question is how deep?” He said, teeth clenched.

“What are we gonna do now?” Vy said.

“We can’t go in there. There are too many guards…”

“So what, we’re going back home?”

“Don’t tell anyone about what we saw today, I don’t know who we can trust,” he said.

Vy’s mind was in a daze when they returned to the apartment. She saw two strangers wheeling David’s body away. It was bagged and put into the back of an unofficial yet official looking vehicle. Though for all she knew it could have been official.

She was left to her own devices and was at a loss of what to do. Everyone was working on something but she felt that there was nothing for her to do. It was still fairly early in the day and she had a sneaking suspicion it would only get longer.

She went upstairs and saw Minhyuk walking down the hall. He was on his phone going the other direction.

Vy ran up behind him for a hug and he dropped his phone when she did. She apologized and picked it up. He kissed her before taking it out of her hand. 

“I’m sorry I never got to ask you, how are you doing?” He said.

She pulled him into a hug. “I’m okay, it was pretty fucked up but I don’t believe it was one of us. We gotta figure this out, David wasn’t a bad guy, he didn’t deserve what happened to him.”

Minhyuk stroked her hair. “No he didn’t.”

They had to part when Minhyuk left to go check the security tapes. Vy tried to find Wonho but he was nowhere in sight. She decided to spend her time looking through the files again. It was better than doing nothing.

The boardroom was a mess of paper. She sifted through it all in an attempt to organize as she went. All she saw were numbers and signatures. Nothing stood out to her but she looked hard.

The heater kicked in and it became incredibly hot in the room. She rolled up her sleeves and tied her hair up.

Wonho had given her the man’s wallet so she opened it up and decided to pull everything out. Aside from an ID and credit cards there was not much.

She looked through every slot and all she recovered of moderate interest was the card of some diner. From the way it was tucked in a deep portion of the wallet she was not sure if anyone found it. There was a name written on it, Phil.

The Chain Crew came to mind, though it was not too long ago she felt as if those events happened years ago. She was not sure if it was the same Phil but the worry knot in her stomach tightened.

“Why would a Hanamuri guy have the Chain Crew’s number?”

As her search progressed at an agonizingly slow pace she suddenly noticed the darkness in the room. Looking out the window the sun had set and the streetlights were on. The day had slipped by faster than she thought. She got up and walked around the building to find Wonho. It seemed as though he was hiding.

She walked by the foyer and upon hearing the sound of an engine, ran outside. Wonho was in the car and she realized exactly what he planned to do. She sprinted to the vehicle, opened the door, and took a seat.

“Get the fuck out,” Wonho said.

“No. You are not going there by yourself,” she said crossing her arms.

Wonho leaned over her seat and got in her face, his expression was both tired yet so alive. She leaned her head back and felt heat upon her face. His piercings glinted in darkness. Her mind flashed to the night at the club…

“This isn’t your fight. Get out.”

Every fibre of her being wanted to listen to him and go. The fire in his gaze was no joke. She swallowed and stood her ground.

“If you make me leave I will only follow you there, it’ll be easier to just take me now,” she said.

He stared at her for a few more seconds which felt like hours. She could not tell what was going through his mind. He leaned back in his seat and started the car.

“Don’t do anything stupid.”

 _I could say the same to you,_ she thought but dared not say.

The drive was silent up until they got into downtown. Wonho began to tell her the plan.

“I called in advance and made an appointment with one of the guests living there. So we have a reason to go, once there we have to take the stairwells up to Soo’s floor. But there are cameras everywhere. Jooheon said he can help us get a small window in but we have to be fast.”

“Wait, Jooheon is helping? I thought you said not to trust anyone.”

“We need his skills, and I trust him.”

It was a brisk walk to the building. Rain started to pour as soon as her feet hit the pavement. There was an anxiety bubble in her chest and she tried to take deep breaths. There was something about Soo that bothered her and she was not quite sure what it was.

When they got to the building she realized how grandiose it was. Golden plated beams rose in arches around the entrance and the doors were frosted glass. The lobby had an immensely tall ceiling and a large mahogany desk in the centre with security persons.

She tried to look nonchalant though she was freezing and her arms shook. Wonho took off his leather jacket and gave it to her.

“Stop acting weird and relax,” he whispered.

Despite his coldness she thanked him for the jacket. It was incredibly warm and smelled of a comfortable musk.

They walked in together and Wonho did all the talking. They were led to a set of elevators as he pulled out his phone and dialled a number.

“Jooheon, lets go skiing this weekend,” Wonho said in front of the guard.

Once they were both alone in the elevator, his attitude changed immediately.

“Yeah can you give me access to the cross over floor?”

They stood there for a moment and waited until Wonho pushed the button for the 28th floor. It lit up allowing them access. They got off and ran through the lobby to the stairs. They went up a couple flights with Jooheon’s help and got to the 30th floor. Wonho carefully opened the door and checked out their surroundings.

It was empty while the marble lined floors glistened ostentatiously. The hall looked just as luxe as the entrance. Vy wondered how expensive it was to live there. It was beautiful but there was something barren about it.

Wonho pulled out a gun and went out the stair door. Vy was about to tell him to slow down when she saw a guard from the corner of her eye. Wonho was too focused on where he was going to notice. The guard saw Wonho and was about get his radio radio when Vy ran out and punched the guard.

The man was stunned then reared back to hit her when she spun around and kicked him. He fell down unconscious. Wonho came around the corner.

“Good thing I came with you hey,” Vy said.

“Stay close.”

They walked down the long hallway until he stopped her. He pointed to the last door labelled “3017”.

“We don’t have much time and this is going to be partially suicidal, are you sure you want to do it?” Wonho said.

“We have to find out, for Changkyun and for David.”

They tiptoed to the door and Wonho spoke to Jooheon again. After a few minutes she saw the keypad on the door light up and it clicked open. They entered quietly and Vy jumped at the sound she heard.

She shut the door behind them and an intense moaning echoed through the air. She turned to Wonho who looked absolutely uncomfortable. There was an awkwardness in the room that increased in frequency with the moans. They managed to moved through it.

Vy thought about what an awful time they had come but it was a situation in which there was not much of a choice. She scrutinized the interior of the apartment to distract herself from the sounds. Soo seemed to have expensive taste. There were large paintings and white furniture in the living room. Vy noticed a yellow sweater on the loveseat that looked like a mens size and eyed it until Wonho urged her forward.

To her relief the moaning stopped and they stood outside the bedroom door. Soo’s voice was barely audible and there was a man’s voice coming from the room. The tone was strangley familiar and unsettling.

Her heart beat wildly, it felt heavier than ever before as if she knew what was coming yet had no idea at the same time. Though Vy’s lack of weapons was apparent, she was ready for a fight. With a quiet inhale her heart iced over and she went into a different mode. She was ready for anything.

Wonho nodded at her and kicked the door open. He pointed his gun at Soo. She was sitting on the bed with negligee on and a dreamy look on her face. It turned into shock when she saw them. However, when she saw Vy a small smile appeared on her lips.

That was when a man came barging out from the washroom wearing nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist. “Soo what was that sound?”

Vy was about to yell at them to stand down when the familiar voice pierced through her ears. All the air left her lungs and she almost fell backwards. It was as if an explosion went off in her face. Wonho stood rigidly against her as she stepped back. The impact was too strong.

As soon as she saw him step into the room it was like a tidal wave hit her head on. He was saying something but she could not hear anything.

The whole room was silent for several minutes. Vy could only stare. Her view became stale and her skin felt numb. She could barely breathe.

There were far away sounds of shuffling and a possible fight. Perhaps a gunshot. Everything was too far. It was all happening so fast yet all she could do was hang on to that one moment frozen in time.

All she could see was him, standing there in someone else’s body. Standing somewhere he should not be standing. Her mind held no explanations, she was simply paralyzed.

She heard a whisper of her name before something hit her on the head and she fell. The last thing she saw was Minhyuk looking down at her before it all went black.


	25. Chapter 25

A distorted clanking filtered into a sharp clear sound. Her breathing became apparent and she slowly opened her eyes. Her head rolled around a little and she bumped it on something.

“Finally awake?” Said a voice.

She tried to swim through the thick fog in her head. Who’s voice spoke to her? Where was she? Her hands tried to move but were not going where she wanted. She grunted in frustration as her awareness increased.

“Vy, wake up.”

She realized it was Wonho that spoke. His voice sent her whirling back into reality. It hit her like a truck and she felt bile against her throat. All she could picture was Minhyuk’s face.

She swallowed the lump in her throat and took a breath. “Where are we?”

“We both got knocked out, I don’t know where we are…but…Minhyuk…” he said.

He could not say the words. Just as she could not feel a single thing but nausea.

Vy started panting. "Did he…is he…”

When she could no longer bear the silence she tried to free her hand. The rattle of the chain echoed in the damp room. Suddenly the walls felt like they were closing in on her. She started to desperately pull on her hand. It might have been painful but she could not feel it. She thrashed against the chains and as each second passed her patience ticked away. She started grunting and yelling. Her breaths were short and shallow. There was no air.

“Vy!”

She felt a hand grab hers from behind and squeeze. She turned her head and saw Wonho leaning against the pole they were both chained to. He held her hands and leaned his head back on hers. His fingers stroked the top of hers and she could feel the panic settling a little.

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She leaned her head against Wonho’s and tried to recover what she had left.

That was when the door opened with a creak and two people walked in. Both her and Wonho looked up to see Soo and Minhyuk standing in the room. Minhyuk stared at the wall. Soo walked up to them as her heels clacked on the cement.

She stopped in front of Wonho and knelt down gracefully. “You just had to come after me.”

“Fuck you,” Wonho said.

Soo’s laugh filled the air. She smiled at Wonho sweetly. “You’ve always been so…rough, I miss that.”

Vy then felt Soo’s gaze move over to her. “And you,” her tone was steely, “I hope you didn’t really think everything would work out? Or did I underestimate your naivety.”

Vy clenched her jaw and wished that Soo would come a little closer. “It’s not over.”

“Honey, it is over. Do you think you and Wonho are going to just walk out of this?” Soo spoke to Minhyuk, “Get Kain in here.”

She then turned on her heel and walked away with a swing of her hips. When she was out the door Minhyuk started to leave.

“Minhyuk,” Vy said, “did you kill David?” Her voice was heavy in the silence.

He stopped, his back towards her. He said nothing. After a few minutes of an uncertain pause he left the room.

She could still feel Wonho’s hands on hers. “We need to get out of here,” she said.

Wonho sighed. “Maybe we can hope they drag us outside and then we can try to escape from there. They double chained me, I’m not going anywhere.”

Another creak of the door and a tall man walked in. He wore a casual suit and fixed his watch before entering. He walked over to them and stood there.

“What to do….what to do…” he said. His voice clicked as he talked.

“How about you tell me what the fuck is going on here and I won’t kill you,” Wonho said.

As expected the man laughed and punched Wonho in the face for threatening him. Wonho smirked and cursed at him. The man pulled out a knife and aimed it towards Wonho.

“Let me just cut that smirk off your face…”

Someone came rushing into the room, it was a another man slightly younger. “No no Kain! Stop! You can’t kill him, do you know who he is?”

“I can kill whoever the hell I want,” said Kain.

“He’s Byung Chul’s son!”

Kain stopped and stepped back to look at Wonho. “You’re saying this fuck boy is Park Byung Chul’s son?”

Vy felt one of the cuffs around her wrist loosen. She took a chance at their confusion to pull her hand out. Wonho felt it from behind him and tried distracting them.

“What about the girl?” Kain said.

The other man paused to think while Vy froze.

“She’s the one who killed the leader of the Chain crew, Phil, his brother wants her.”

Kain thought for a moment then gestured to Vy, “take her then, we can figure out what to do with him later.”

Vy quickly wrapped the loose cuff around her hand when the man grabbed her. She was dragged out of the room and looked at Wonho, he gave her a long stare and nodded slowly for her to leave.

She could not bear the thought of leaving him but she had to. The man pulled her out the door and she walked through a dark hallway. There were some windows and she calculated they were on the second floor from the angle of the trees outside.

They were stopped, she saw Minhyuk standing in front of them but he ignored her.

"Where are you taking her?” Minhyuk said.

“Chain crew wants her, or we could kill her now if you want,” the man said.

She looked at Minhyuk’s expressionless face. The nausea rolled back. Her eyes felt dry and tired. She could not bear to see him any longer.

“No need to kill her,” he said and walked away.

A small laugh erupted from her. The man beside her gave her a scowl. She laughed even harder.

“Shut up you crazy bitch!” The man swung back to hit her.

Vy caught his arm and twisted it with her freed hand. She took the chain from the cuffs and hurled them around the man’s neck. He struggled but she pulled tightly until he passed out. His body dropped to the floor.

There was a click. She saw Minhyuk point a gun in her direction. They stood there for a moment staring at one another. She was only a few feet from him but felt miles away.

“If you’re going to kill me, then fucking kill me. Like you killed David.”

He stood there staring at her with a blank face. Vy ran away from him towards the window. A shot fired.

“Aah!”

The bullet grazed her arm as she crashed through the window. She landed roughly tumbling onto the ground. Though it was grass the impact hurt her knees. She cut her arms on the broken glass.

Then she started to run. Only once did she look back to see Minhyuk standing by the window. If she could forget the last few hours he looked like his usual self. Perhaps with the slightest shade of melancholy.

Gunshots fired around her and she increased her speed. There was a chain link fence that she quickly scaled and jumped over. She sprinted away into a busy intersection and disappeared in the early morning crowd.

She prayed for forgiveness when she took a few coins from a homeless person’s cup. They roared at her with fists in the air but she was too fast and ran a few blocks ahead. She went down into the subway station and got on a train.

The doors closed and she shut her eyes for a few seconds to catch her breath. The gentle roll of the train rocked her until she reached her stop.

When she was back at the apartment her wounds started to sting. Blood dripped from her arm where the bullet hit.The adrenaline was wearing off and she began to feel tired. It was the break of dawn and she came bursting through the doors. She ran out into the hall. There was nobody there.

She went into the kitchen to see Hyungwon and Jooheon eating at a table. They both got up when they saw her. Jooheon ran over to support her as her legs trembled. He rubbed her back gently.

“Vy! What happened?” Hyungwon said.

She felt the stomach sickness return as she searched for the words. Her numbness wore off and her eyes stung. The tears were inevitable. It only took seconds and all she could do was sob uncontrollably. She fell to her knees and her palms hit the floor.

“They-they have Wonho,” she said in between breaths. “And Minhyuk…” she had to stop speaking for several minutes. “Minhyuk killed David…he’s with Soo. They’re together.”

She could not say anymore without losing it again. There was a pressure in her chest as if her heart was being torn out of her back. The worry knot in her stomach sank into her body and tightened with every breath.

Hyungwon came up to her and gently took her hand. “Hey, I don’t know what happened but I’m guessing it’s very serious. Let’s get you to the infirmary and you can talk to Shownu and I. Deal?”

She nodded and felt both Hyungwon and Jooheon give her a hand. The floor below her shook but she leaned on the strength of their arms as they helped her up.

“I need to get him back,” she said.

“Who?” Jooheon and Hyungwon said.

“Wonho.”


	26. Chapter 26

“Ow!”

The solution stung on her arm. She felt it all over her as Hyungwon dressed her wounds. The infirmary was the same as the last time she was there. The beds were covered in off white sheets and the pillows were too hard. The floor was moderately clean and the counters were covered with medical supplies. Her eyes moved over to the other bed which was empty.

“We need to go get him,” She said.

“Vy, we need to hear what happened first,” Shownu said.

She looked at the window and sighed. “Minhyuk…He killed David. He was working with Soo.”

Shownu and Hyungwon froze as she relayed the story of her journey to Soo’s apartment and how she escaped. She was surprised at her ability to speak so fluently. Though each mention of Minhyuk’s name sent a painful surge through her chest.

“So he’s stuck with Soo and Minhyuk, who are probably associated with the Hanamuri?” Hyungwon said, “and we still don’t know what they needed the money for.”

“Oh and the Chain crew is with them,” she said.

Shownu’s eyes snapped up. “What?”

That was when a question came to her that she had wondered about since she heard it.

“Who’s Wonho’s father?” She said.

Hyungwon and Shownu looked at each other and then back at her. It seemed that they were gauging the importance of an explanation. Then Shownu signalled at Hyungwon to speak.

“Alright,” Hyungwon said, “this isn’t necessarily exclusive information but it’s not widely known so we don’t talk about it. Wonho, is actually Park Shin Hoseok who is the son of Park Byung Chul.”

“Wait…Park…you mean Park family Park?” Vy said.

Hyungwon nodded.

Vy was still confused. “So this Park Byung Chul is high up in this organization right? Because our group is under the big umbrella that is the Park family?”

Hyungwon chuckled. “No, Mr. Park is the organization, he’s at the top.”

Then it hit her. “Wonho is the son of the don?”

“Yes, though he’s an adopted son, Mr. Park took him in when he was four and raised him,” Hyungwon said.

Vy thought about it for a few minutes and hundreds of questions popped into her head. “Wait, why is Wonho here? Why isn’t he with his father? Can’t we just ask for help from the higher ups to get him back?”

She continued her stream of questions until Shownu interrupted. “Vy, we cannot under any circumstances bring up Wonho’s current situation to anyone else.”

“Why?”

“We cannot start an all out war. The Hanamuri may be separate from us, but Mr. Hanamuri is friends with Mr. Park, they respect each other. I don’t believe this is his doing, this is a group that has gone rogue and decided to stir the pot. We cannot allow them to succeed in creating chaos,” Shownu said.

Vy could not believe what she was hearing. “So we’re going to ignore our resources and give it our best shot?”

Hyungwon’s eyes widened slightly and he snorted. “Looks like you pissed her off Shownu, but I am wondering how we’re going to pull this off without help.”

“Changkyun, you, and Vy will go. Kihyun called me, he’s returning tonight. We can come up with a plan once he gets here.”

Once Hyungwon finished cleaning her wounds she got up and left the room without saying anything. She went back to her apartment and shut the door. It was childish but she had no other way to react.

A knock occurred at her door in minutes, it was Hyungwon. He leaned on the door frame.

“You’re not on board?” Hyungwon said.

“Of course I’m on board, but I think we have better chances with help. We don’t know how big their side is, and what if this Hanamuri guy is bad, betrayal happens…” she looked away. “Wonho…I don’t want him to be there, what if Soo does something to him?”

“Vy, don’t worry. You haven’t seen Wonho in the field as much as we have. He can handle his own, he’s the best. He probably already knows what our plan is, so lets come up with one and save his ass.”

They planned to meet in the boardroom in the late afternoon to come up with the best approach. Beforehand she decided to pay someone a visit. She took a deep breath before knocking on his door.

Changkyun opened the door looking like he just woke up from a nap. She walked inside upon invitation and faced him.

She knit her hands together and tried to look him in the eyes. "I’m so sorry Changkyun, please understand that I only said what I said at the time out of wanting to be honest. I didn’t suspect you but I didn’t want to hide that you knew either.”

He sat down on his bed and rubbed his eyes while he spoke. “You don’t have to be sorry, I get it. Thanks for coming here to talk to me, and hey it wasn’t that bad,” he paused to yawn. “The cot down there is shit though.”

A small weight fell from her shoulders and she laughed with him. Then they both went downstairs and met with Hyungwon. He laid out a giant map of the city and handed Vy a marker.

“Tell us everything you know, even if it’s a sneeze you heard during your time there, we want to hear it all,” Hyungwon said.

She explained to her best ability all that she recalled. Her memory was blurring at the edges but she tried to remember. She located the address quickly on the map from the name of the subway station she ran to.

“That’s Hanamuri territory alright…” Hyungwon said.

Hours passed as they discussed and hypothesized. Mid-talk, the door slid open.

Clad in all black, Kihyun walked in. He had a trench coat on and a suit underneath, his tie laid pristinely on his shirt. He ran a hand through his soft pink hair and took a seat.

“Back from vacation?” Hyungwon said.

Kihyun laughed. “Yeah right, we never get vacation,” he then became serious and laid his hands on the table, “Shownu sped me up and things don’t look too good. We can’t just barge into that building guns blazing. Hearing about Minhyuk was hard, for all of us,” he glanced at Vy, “but we need to separate our emotions now. Wonho might get out himself, he might not. Our first objective is to track down Soo’s plans. Minhyuk will not be accessible anymore, but we know she works at Siren Song so let’s start there.”

“You mean we’re not going to save Wonho first?” Vy said.

Kihyun looked at her without any particular expression. “Yes that’s what I mean. We need to figure out what this all is, it’s more than scraping up a few thousand dollars for profit. Now, Hyungwon and Vy you two can’t do it since they know your face. I can’t go either, she’ll recognize me.” He turned to Changkyun, “you will enter Siren Song and extract information. Their security will surely double since Vy escaped so it won’t be easy. Changkyun, we can help you get there but you’re alone after that. You’ll need to find their server and stick one of Jooheon’s flash drives in.”

Kihyun left no room for discussion. Vy glanced at Hyungwon who looked slightly distressed. He then spoke up.

“You want to gather information from Soo? How do we even know that they keep any valuable information there?”

“It’s our safest lead, and we should start tonight, every second wasted adds more strain to Wonho,” Kihyun said.

“Then we should go after Wonho first!” Vy said. She almost rose out of her chair.

The way Kihyun looked at her was the way he looked at her when she first saw him. Cold and apathetic. She felt overpowered by his numbing gaze and looked away.

“Vy, you’re new to this team, I had my doubts at the start but hearing of your progress am fairly impressed. I hope you can continue to prove your merit to this team and take my orders without question.”

Her face felt hot and she immediately regretted speaking at all. She felt like she was scolded by the principle. Looking down at the table she nodded.

They discussed for another hour the breakdown of their assignment and by the end gathered their weapons. Vy and Hyungwon took one car while Kihyun and Changkyun took another.

“Don’t worry about Ki, you know how he is,” Hyungwon said.

Vy agreed with him and stared out the window. It was raining once again. The droplets on the window soared past her leaving streaks of broken paths behind.

“Jagiya, don’t worry, we’ll get Wonho back. But when we do then you have to tell him about us.”

Vy laughed at his trivial comments that once annoyed her. She felt a little lighter and joked around with him.

Then they reached the looming street on which Siren Song perched and she felt her feet sink to the ground. The street lights were bright and cool and shone off the pavement. The cement looked black and sparkled from the wetness.

They watched from the car as Changkyun got out and entered through the familiar doors. She remembered the last time they were there and immediately tried to think of something else.

She heard Kihyun speak through her earpiece. “Okay we have fifteen minutes for him, I’m going to park here and circle around to the back. You two take the front and get ready for my signal in case things get hairy.”

Vy put a hand on her gun and for one malicious moment she hoped Soo would step outside.


	27. Chapter 27

They stood at the sides of adjacent buildings. Vy was at one building while Hyungwon was several feet across from her. The gray brick had a dark tone and the space between the street lights cast large shadows. The pavement was slick with wetness and glistened in the still air.

Vy stood against the wall and stared at the entrance of Siren Song. All she pictured was Soo walking out of those doors and her fingers twitched at the thought. Vy tried to think of something else but the same scene played in her head over and over again.

Suddenly a voice spoke in her ear. “I’m in,” said Changkyun, “Soo is in the club area I’ll head to her office, I think that’s where the server is.”

She sent a silent prayer for Changkyun to succeed. It was time to see him in action. The minutes ticked away and her heart pounded at a steady rate.

“We’re in their server,” Changkyun said, “If we hack this computer I think that Jooheon might be able to sneak into their private network. There’s a hidden path in their network files but I can’t access it.”

“While you’re waiting for Jooheon’s program to load and copy everything, search through her drawers if possible. Once it’s done get out of there,” Kihyun said.

She wondered from which spot at the back of the Siren Song Kihyun perched. A part of her thought to scan the block for a burst of pink hair but she knew he was more diligent than that.

“Shit, someone is coming! There’s no place to hide here!” Changkyun said.

Vy panicked for a moment and then a collected calm rushed over her. “I’m going in,” she said.

Before Kihyun could start yelling at her not to she removed her earpiece and put it in her pocket. She opened the door and walked inside. The bouncer at the stairs asked for her name. She said she wanted to see Soo. He said no at first so she took her gun out and pointed it at his stomach discreetly.

She knew this was reckless but she was tired of waiting for someone to do something. The man led her inside and she walked past the dancers and stages towards the back. She then asked the bouncer to walk ahead and knocked him out with a blow from the base of her gun.

In the hallway she saw Soo, clad in a two toned dress that showed off her slender legs. Vy cocked her gun and aimed it at her back.

“Turn around,” Vy said.

Soo gracefully turned with an amused look on her face. “Well I didn’t expect this from you at all, barging in here like this. Wonho seems to have rubbed off on you…”

Vy stood there staring at her. “Why are you doing this, tell me and I won’t shoot you.”

Soo laughed and fanned her eyes to protect her makeup. “Are you for real right now? Do you think you have any pull in this situation honey, that is so sad. I know you really want to kill me because I ‘stole your man’. The truth is he was mine from the start. He was never yours Vy, did you actually think any of it was real? Every touch, every word, and every kiss, it was all because I told him to do it.”

Vy felt her heart beating through her chest and sweat dripping from her body. Her head whirled with each word Soo spoke and she was one step closer to crossing the line.

"David was nothing, neither were your little homeless friends.”

Vy was shook to the core at her words. Tears fell from her eyes and she wished they would stop. Soo smirked and raised an eyebrow.

“Don’t even think about rebounding on Wonho by the way, he would never end up with the likes of you. You’re just a snivelling little girl, are you actually crying right now? Jesus, I think I have some tissues in my office.”

Vy’s conscious snapped. She heard someone open a door from bedside her and she grabbed the first person to walk out. She put the gun to their head and threatened Soo. The woman in her arms pleaded for her life but Vy shook her to stop.

“You think I’ll tell you everything because you took one of my dancers?” Soo laughed again, the sound grated on Vy’s ears.

“Don’t fuck with me!” Vy said.

Vy walked to the end of the hallway close to the backdoor and she wondered if Changkyun got out in time. Vy took a deep breath and tried to figure out how she would escape now. She heard the sound of footsteps approaching and held the girl close.

“Tell your men to back off,” Vy said, “or else I’ll kill her.”

Soo rolled her eyes and what she did next happened in seconds. Soo pulled out a concealed gun from her dress and fired it without a second thought. The bullet went through the dancer and struck Vy as well. Vy stepped backwards and glanced at her now bleeding abdomen.

The girl turned around and looked at Vy with a shocked expression. Vy was puzzled at why she was so familiar looking. Then it dawned on her. She watched, horrified, as Lana sank to the floor clutching her stomach. The memory of Lana holding up dresses with a sweet smile on her face bubbled up to Vy’s mind. That memory was now contorted and twisted into Lana’s current pained expression.

“You just don’t have what it takes,” Soo said.

Her guards arrived and pointed their guns at Vy. Soo raised one hand. “Kill them both.”

Then a bullet shot into a guard’s head as he raised his gun. Then another guard fell and another. Soo was pushed down by her guards and they took her away from the stream of bullets.

Vy pulled out her earpiece from her pocket and put it in her ear, she heard Kihyun, “I got you covered, get out! We’re waiting around the corner.”

She was about to run out when she saw Lana on the floor. Lana was hunched over and shaking from the wound. Vy picked her up and dragged her onto her feet. When she saw Vy’s face she immediately recoiled and tried to push back.

“Hey! I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to threaten you it was all fake, I wasn’t going to kill you I just wanted Soo to think that. We’ve both been shot and need medical help. You need to come with me, please. I won’t hurt you, I promise.”

She was falling in and out of consciousness but conceded to Vy’s request. Vy ran out the door with Lana and they stumbled to the street where Hyungwon, Changkyun, and Kihyun parked. She climbed into the closest car as Kihyun unlocked the doors.

“Yell at me later, we’ve both been shot!” Vy said as she climbed in.

“Holy shit, you’re bleeding!” Changkyun said.

Once she closed the door Kihyun sped off without a word. Hyungwon followed them closely behind. Vy tried to press onto her stomach to stop the bleeding and told Changkyun to compress Lana’s. He looked as if he might throw up.

Her vision was blurring by the time they got back and she was carried to the infirmary. Her head rolled around but she looked for Lana.

“Where….is Lana…” Vy said.

Kihyun’s voice rang in her ears, “we can’t have everyone know about us. She worked for Soo, for all we know she’s in on it too.”

Vy felt the last bit of energy in her blazing. She yelled and fought her way onto her feet and put her hands on Kihyun’s shoulders for balance.

“I know I fucked up, don’t take it out on her, she’s a good girl…she can’t die because of me…please Kihyun…”

Then it all went black.

She woke to the sound of people talking. It was Kihyun and Hyungwon. At first it was unclear muttering. Her left side felt incredibly sore and she had a massive headache though that was the most of it.

“She almost killed herself trying to make a distraction for Changkyun to escape, and we got what we needed.”

“Yes but she was reckless, do you want that kind of person at your back?”

“I would trust her in any situation. The stress she’s been under these last couple weeks plus the fact that she’s only been doing this for what, a few months now?”

“Alright fine, but what do we do about the other girl?”

Vy opened her eyes and stared into the white ceiling of the infirmary. She turned to see Kihyun and Hyungwon leaning on the counters. Kihyun looked angry but Hyungwon was relaxed.

“You can’t hurt her Kihyun,” Vy said getting up.

She sat up and gripped her side feeling the stitches pull on her flesh. She winced at the pain.

“Woah, slow down, nobody is killing anyone,” Hyungwon said.

Vy looked over at the other bed and saw Lana laying there. She looked tired and sick. Sweat beaded on her forehead and she had a troubled expression though she was unconscious.

“Is she going to be alright?” Vy said.

Hyungwon walked over to Lana and wiped the sweat off her face. “Kihyun stitched her up personally, she’ll be fine.”

Vy sighed and looked over at Kihyun. He was scowling at Lana.

“Thank you Kihyun, I know I went out of line but you still saved her.”

Kihyun did not know what to say and just muttered something and walked out of the room. Hyungwon laughed and walked over to Vy’s bedside.

“Jagiya don’t scare me like that again,” he paused and looked her in the eyes with a serious gaze, “but actually, why did you do it?”

She sighed. “I-I just needed to know, I just wanted to confront her. But I see now that things just aren’t that easy, we need to save Wonho, and I’m afraid I might have made things worse. Soo was right, I’m not cut out for this…”

“How can you say that when you’ve already gotten this far? It’s not about being cut out for something, it’s about learning from your mistakes and growing along the way,” Hyungwon said.

Vy thanked him for his words. Then her expression became dark as she worried for Wonho. She wondered what he was going through.

************************ ************************ ************************

“Hey baby,” her icy melodic voice echoed through the room.

He shook off the last punch and looked up at her from the floor. The ground was hard and the chains were rubbing against his raw skin cutting into it.

He spat blood from his mouth and smirked. “You know, if I didn’t know any better I’d think you don’t have much of a life. How many times have you been in here to see me?”

She squatted beside him and parted his hair to the side. He fiercely ducked his head away from her touch. She sank her nails into his neck and watched him laugh and wince.

“Don’t tell me you don’t miss it, the sex was great,” her pitch dropped a tone lower.

“Demons are usually pretty good in bed I’ll give you that.”

She got up and paced in front of him. “A demon, that’s what you think of me?”

“Bitch, demon, psychopath, witch, piece of shit, take your pick, which one calls to you the most? Combinations are allowed.”

“Did she think you’re funny, is that why you liked her? I guess we’ll never know now.”

Wonho became serious almost instantly. “What do you mean?”

“Your rookie pet, I shot her today. In my defence she drew first. Let’s see if she’s as strong as you think she is.” She smiled as her eyes were glinted in the low light of the room.

“If you hurt her Soo, there will be no one to save you.”

“She doesn’t even love you, you’re an animal Wonho, an animal that isn’t even housebroken. At the least I can say her taste is better than mine, she fell for the sensible guy, not the crazy baggage-filled jerk. But the sensible ones are no fun are they?” She paused to look to her side, “Oh, I’m sorry Minhyuk I forgot you were still here. You know I was joking baby, now go and tell Kain that we should move him,” she pointed to Wonho, “I’m sure his sad little crew will concoct some half ass plan to get their best fighter back.”

Minhyuk silently turned to leave when Wonho started laughing out loud. “I might be an animal but that’s better than becoming your lap dog.”

Minhyuk came around to the side and punched Wonho in the face. Wonho looked at him and smiled. Minhyuk’s expression was dark and filled with rage as he grabbed Wonho by the shirt. Wonho nodded at Minhyuk to come at him but all Minhyuk did was let go of his shirt and walk away.

“I would’ve respected you more if you were just a liar, but a spineless liar, that is just sad,” Wonho said behind him.

Soo walked over to him. “You’re the one that’s spineless, afraid to take on anything worth more than a bar fight. That’s why I left you know, because you have zero ambitions and no future despite all that’s around you. You can keep your cheap thrills and rot in this shit hole for all I care.”

She then got up and left the room. Wonho stared into the darkness as it seemed to stretch on forever.


	28. Chapter 28

She poured herself a mug filled with coffee and enjoyed the warm scent. The French vanilla cream added a tantalizing aroma and it was enough to wake her senses. She mixed in a cube of sugar and listened to the chime of metal against ceramic in a twirling rhythm.

On her way back to the infirmary she saw a tuft of pink hair down the hall. It was Kihyun leaning on the door frame with crossed arms. He was looking at Lana with a calculating gaze.

“You haven’t changed your mind have you?” Vy said.

Kihyun did not shift his gaze as he spoke, “No, but we need to figure out what to do with her. Our situation is pretty sensitive these days.”

“Let me talk to her first please,” she said.

“Now’s your chance,” he said nodding towards the room.

Vy saw Lana waking up. She walked into the room and put her coffee down on the counter. She took a seat beside the bed and waited for Lana to regain full consciousness.

Her hair was black and fell in long strands around her shoulders. Vy could see her beauty through the dark circles and haggard expression. Her face was heart shaped and small while her eyes were like almonds. Lana blinked them a few times and looked around herself like a nervous rabbit.

She saw Vy and jumped back. Vy held up her hands and said she had just been saved from the bullet wound.

“Lana, I’m sorry,” Vy said. 

“Who are you? Like really,” Lana said.

Vy sighed and tried to think of the least complicated explanation. She went into vague details about her first night at Siren Song, minus the conspiracy and potential gang war. Vy explained to Lana that she was a part of an organization. However Vy made it imperative that Lana knew Soo was the enemy.

“I should never have done what I did to you, and I take full responsibility for it. I’m sorry Lana, I’m so sorry.”

“I…I don’t know how things ended up this way, but I won’t take it personally I guess. When can I go home?”  
Vy paused to think of what to tell her when they were interrupted.

“You’re not going back home,” Kihyun said.

Lana looked over at him and her eyes widened for a moment as she looked him over. “What do you mean?”

“I mean that you weren’t even supposed to be here in the first place, and now that you’re here you can’t leave because we don’t trust you. And don’t even think of escaping little bunny, because wherever you go I’ll find you.” With that he walked out.

Lana brought up the sheet to her chin with wide eyes. “He’s scary…”

Vy sighed and shook her head. “I’m sorry about him…but he is right we can’t really let you go yet. This is all my fault for getting you involved.” She put her head in her hands.

She felt a warm hand on her shoulder. Vy raised her head and saw Lana look at her with a tender gaze.

“You made a mistake, and though I feel like shit I’m alive because of you too. So…thanks.”

Vy could barely believe she received thanks from someone who barely escaped alive. She was thankful for it and helped Lana onto her feet. They made their way to the kitchen and Vy made her ramen.

“Ahhh this is so good! I already feel my energy returning,” Lana said.

Vy continued to be baffled at Lana’s cheerful attitude despite the situation. Vy watched her gleefully slurp and and talk about all her favourite types of ramen.

“Oh full recovery I see.” Hyungwon had walked in.

Lana gave a thumbs up and drank the soup base from her cup with both hands. Vy could not help but smile. Even Hyungwon muttered about how cute it was. He shook himself and asked Vy to come with him.

They both went into the hallway and spoke at the same time, “Wonho.”

Vy paused to let Hyungwon talk.

“We need to go today, the chance is too high that they already moved him. But right now Jooheon is getting into the server. There’s a possibility that Soo’s computer had a trail that could lead us to some real information. I’m heading to his room now let’s go.”

They went to Jooheon’s room and entered through the open door. There were pizza boxes strewn across the floor and piles of clothes and chip bags. Vy walked around the mess and stood behind Jooheon’s large desk that was set up with multiple monitors.

“Ah you guys came just in time, I’m about to crack into the main server. Her computer had a path to a remote network that was almost difficult to get into, but I’m in!” Jooheon clapped and his dimples beamed.

Vy and Hyungwon looked at each other and at the streams of ciphertext on his screens with blank expressions. 

“You’re so smart Jooheon, this is really cool,” Vy said.  
Jooheon blushed and looked away. “Nah this is nothing…”

“Okay enough showing off, what have we got?” Kihyun walked into the room.

He went around and leaned over Jooheon gripping the back of his chair. After a few minutes of Jooheon’s fingers clacking on the computer and waiting for his scripts to run they saw a different desktop reveal itself.

Jooheon maneuvered his mouse around the screen and opened a few files. There was one in particular that would not open.

“This is encrypted, I need more time, give me a few hours and I should be able to get in,” Jooheon said.

“We don’t have a few hours, we need to get Wonho now!” Vy said to Kihyun, her expression softened. “Please, we’re running out of time.”

Kihyun looked at the computers and said nothing for several minutes. He then sighed and walked out of the room.

“Let’s go,” he said waving his hand in the air, “Jooheon call me when you get something!”

Vy and Hyungwon followed Kihyun down the stairs. He walked to the armoury and picked out some guns. He took out bullets and an automatic rifle.

“Woah, are we heading to war?” Hyungwon said.

Kihyun put a refill into his gun and it clicked loudly. “You guys were right, we tried it my way, but it’s taking too long. Wonho doesn’t have the time, let’s get our boy back. Hyungwon, can you get Changkyun?”

Hyungwon nodded and left. Vy stood in the room in awe of Kihyun’s change of heart. She quietly grabbed two glocks and put them in her belt.

“Are you surprised?” Kihyun said.

Vy looked at him with a blank face. She was afraid to answer.

He gave a small smile as he grabbed knives from the wall and began to wipe them. “I can admit when my methods don’t work, all I want is to get the job done, in the most efficient way possible.”

There was a knock at the door and they both looked up to see Lana standing there. One foot was tapping on the floor and she unconsciously twirled a strand of hair in her fingers. Vy suddenly realized all Lana had on was a large white t shirt that barely covered her thighs.

“What do you want?” Kihyun said concentrating on cleaning the blade.

“Um, Hyungwon told me that it was you who stitched me up-”

“So?”

“S-so I just wanted to say thank you for saving my life,” Lana said looking at the ground.

Vy just stared at Lana’s adorable disposition. Vy was not sure if she wanted to pinch her cheeks or give her a hug. Kihyun stepped forward, continuing to clean the same spot on the blade.

“Look bunny, no need for a thanks. Just don’t get into any trouble while I’m gone. And go put some clothes on you’re not at the club anymore,” he said walking out of the room. 

“My name is Lana…” she said just as he walked out of earshot.

Vy laughed it off and told Lana that was his cheerful attitude. She took Lana back to her room and gave her a pair of sweatpants and a shirt. Jooheon was scheduled to keep an eye on Lana to his dismay but she promised to stay in Vy’s room.

She left Lana and then went back downstairs. In the waiting area there was Changkyun, Hyungwon, and Kihyun getting their last minute things ready. They all wore casual clothes and covered the lower halves of their faces with bandanas. She strapped a knife to her back and put on a leather jacket. It was comfortable and warm.

“Are you guys ready to do this?” Kihyun said.

Everyone nodded and got into a black panel van. The side of it had a faded advertisement of an old pizza company. Vy did not question it and went inside.

The drive felt long and Vy could feel unease at the pit of her stomach. The painkillers she took were in full effect so she knew it was not the injury. She had constantly been worrying for Wonho and what they might be doing to him and yet there was a part of her that wanted to run away from the possibility of seeing Minhyuk again.

She felt a hand, it was Hyungwon. He looked her in the eyes and gave her shoulder a squeeze. She smiled at him. The car came to a stop. The sun was hidden in a grey sky by the time they arrived.

“They’re a block away from here. Changkyun, get on the roof of the next building and set up your gear. I need your eyes on as much of the perimeter as possible. Vy and Hyungwon, the three of us are going in through the east entrance, there’s a basement door on that side we can go through. Let’s hope they kept him on the first few floors.”

They snuck into the perimeter from a space in the fence that surrounded the building. It was old and there were gaps along the way. She followed Kihyun and Hyungwon along the trees and sprinted to the side of the building. They crouched along the exterior staircase and Kihyun went to the door.

“There’s a guard walking around to the side!” Changkyun said through their earpieces.

After several long seconds Kihyun shook the doorknob and opened the door. They ran inside and he shut it quietly. They stood away from the windows and were still.

“Okay he passed you” Changkyun said.

The basement was a clutter of old furniture and mechanical equipment. There were three large boilers that sat in the middle of the room that reached up to the ceiling at a height of at least seven feet. The rusted metal was coming off in brown flakes.

Kihyun led the way to the stairs going up. Light spilled through a crack at the bottom of the door. He leaned at the door to listen for any sounds.

“Changkyun, can you spot where they have Wonho through any of the windows? Or even a floor with guards at the door?” Kihyun said.

“Let me see,” his voice crackled in their ears.

After a few minutes he claimed spotting a few guards sitting in front of a door on the third floor. Vy recalled being trapped on the second floor and assumed they moved him after her escape.

Kihyun brought up the bandana to his nose and readied his rifle. He brought it out and leaned forward in a crouch. The silencer on it shone in the low light. Vy was amazed at how professional he looked. Every inch of him was ready to go. He signalled for them to follow him and opened the door.

The floor was dirty and shadeless bulbs hung from swinging cords down the hall. The entire place looked undeveloped. She felt highly uncomfortable at the openness of the hallway but there was a nook they walked into halfway through. 

Hyungwon looked down the side they came from and there was no one there. Kihyun glanced ahead of them and they heard footsteps. Kihyun signalled them to hide against the wall and he leaned at the edge of the nook, waiting. When the guard got close enough, Kihyun grabbed him and stabbed him cleanly in the back of the neck. Vy barely even saw his hands move for the knife he was so fast. Kihyun then dragged the man out of sight and laid him down.

They continued onward through the hall to a set of stairs. The stairs were empty and they climbed up two flights. There was one startling moment when they heard chatter above them. They stood against the wall and listened for the approaching footsteps. But the guards ended up leaving at a different floor.

Kihyun was up against the stair door to the third floor. “Changkyun, what do you see?”

“There are four guards in the hall in front of you and one is walking around the floor on the other side. There are about five people on the floor above you as well.”

Kihyun looked back at them with a grim expression. “I’m going to throw this smoke cannister in there and Hyungwon and I will take care of the guards, Vy you go and get Wonho. Got it?”

They nodded and Vy took a deep breath when she saw Kihyun crack open the door and roll a cannister into the hallway. She heard shocked voices on the other side of the door as smoke creeped into the stairwell.

“Now!” Kihyun threw open the door.

The three of them filed in with their weapons. Vy heard Kihyun’s silenced gunshots followed by pain filled groans. It was incredibly difficult to see but she ran over to the door. A guard was in her way and she saw the glimmer of keys at their belt. She grabbed his head amidst his confusion and twisted his neck into a painful angle. The man fell to the floor and Vy grabbed the set of keys.

By the third key she heard the door click open and pushed. It dragged along the floor and she entered the room with her eyes burning from the smoke. It was dark and she squinted to see. There was a large pile of something in the corner otherwise the room was barren. She went to it and saw a flash of blue hair.

His head rose and he blinked a few times in a dreamy state. “Vy?”

She ran to him without a second thought and threw her arms around him. “You’re alive, thank God.”

He leaned away from her looking incredibly dizzy. “Is this real? I think they drugged me…fuck…”

Before she could respond she heard more gunshots and this time they were not silenced. The whole building was about to be woken up from the bullet exchange.

“We need to go, now,” she said.

She put his arm around her shoulders and lifted him up. A groan escaped her lips as her injury screamed at her to stop. She pressed on and walked him out the door.

The smoke had cleared for the most part and there were bodies spilled all over the ground. She looked around and saw Kihyun and Hyungwon at the stairwell, their guns raised.

“Come on!” Kihyun said.

She dragged a dizzy Wonho as fast as she could. Hyungwon took the weight off her shoulders once they got to the stairs. Vy pulled out her gun and pointed it down the steps. They made their descent swiftly.

Once they got to the main floor they slowly opened the door and when no one was present they walked through the hall. They heard loud steps coming down the stairs so Kihyun and Vy pushed a large desk in front of the door leading to the stairwell in hopes it would slow their pursuers down.

“They’re coming from all sides! Get out of there!” Changkyun said.

They sprinted to the basement door and ran down the steps. Hyungwon dragged Wonho along with him while Vy took up the rear. As they walked into the basement Vy saw hands poke through the door they blocked.

Her heart raced wildly as she descended into the darkness. They ran around the rusted boilers and headed for the door leading outside.

Kihyun yelled as he ran. “Changkyun get the car ready!”

They busted open the door and ran into the open air. Vy almost took a breath when she noticed the lineup of cars in their path. They stopped mid-run and held their weapons up. A figure stepped out of one of the vehicles. It was Minhyuk.

Her heart lurched at the sight of him. He took a few steps onto the grass and stood in front of their path. There were no words exchanged for what seemed like forever as Vy stared at his silent expression. She heard Wonho panting softly behind her.

“This is the end of the line.”


	29. Chapter 29

The air was still and cold. Wonho breathed heavily holding onto Hyungwon. Vy stared ahead at the man she once loved. His hair fell in a familiar pattern and she recognized his clothing. Everything looked the same and yet all she could see was a complete stranger.

“Why did you come back for him? You should’ve known it was a trap,” Minhyuk said.

Kihyun stepped up. “We don’t betray each other, it seems you’ve forgotten…Maybe a bullet will remind you.”

Minhyuk chuckled. He looked behind him and a group of guards came out of the line of cars. Some held guns and others held knives. They were outnumbered three to one. Vy swallowed and looked around for a way out. Her mind felt numb and she could not see anything beyond the fuzziness of her vision. Her eyes kept shifting to Minhyuk. There was a phantom pain running through the wound he left on her arm.

“Hand over Wonho and this might not get ugly,” Minhyuk said.

“Fuck you…” Wonho said. His voice seemed lazy and tired.

Wonho reached away from Hyungwon and tried walking over to Minhyuk. His legs shook and he almost fell. Vy caught Wonho’s arm and held him close. He turned and looked at her for a moment with a soft expression.

“God you’re beautiful…” He whispered.

Suddenly a high pitched sound occurred and a canister fell in the grass around them. Two more canisters fell out of thin air and smoke burst out of them. The breeze picked up the smoke and suddenly visibility was gone. Everyone looked around to see where it came from but there was no one in sight. Then a stream of bullets came flying at the cars and everyone ducked down.

Vy heard a loud voice in her ear, “I’m at the west side! Hurry up!”

Kihyun laughed and pulled out his gun. “Ah you are a beauty Changkyun! Hyungwon take Wonho and go!”

Hyungwon pulled up his bandana and grabbed Wonho. He maneuvered away as quickly as he could. Vy was about to follow when she saw Kihyun stay back. Loud coughs erupted from her lungs as she breathed in too much of the smoke.

“Where are you going?” She said.

“Go back! I need to settle this.” He cocked his gun and stared ahead of him.

She looked at the direction of his view and saw Minhyuk struggling to see. Minhyuk rubbed his eyes and tried to get cover as Kihyun raised his gun. Vy looked back and forth between the two. Her heart stopped and so did time.

All her senses faded away and she could only hope for one thing. Every fibre of her mind told her not to do it. Her brain screamed at her and all she could hear was a cacophony of discord. However, her body moved against her will. She desperately tried to stop but there was no way.

She ran to Kihyun and pushed his hand just as he pulled the trigger. Minhyuk yelled and fell over. Her heart skipped a beat. She held her breath until she saw him move. Kihyun grabbed her roughly by the arm with a livid expression.

Bullets flew by them from the guards that overcame the smoke. Kihyun dragged her away from the scene. She looked back to see Minhyuk getting up and limping towards them. Their eyes met through the smoke and his almost glimmered in the low light. She felt deep pain when she looked at him and yet she could go and provide any comfort. His eyes did not waver as he was equally locked into her gaze. He stared on as his group fired at them. She felt the force of Kihyun’s pull and was taken out of view.

When they reached the car she saw Changkyun sitting on top of it with a sniper rifle. He looked relieved when they arrived and jumped off the car.

“Finally!”

Kihyun opened the door of the van and threw Vy inside the vehicle. She fell into the back and hit her head on a metal bar. Hyungwon asked if she was alright and she simply nodded. Wonho was laid down and half asleep muttering random things. Kihyun and Changkyun jumped into the driver and passenger’s seat.

They heard a screech of tires. Vy looked out the window and saw a group of black vehicles coming for them. Kihyun fired up the car and sped off.

“Are they tailing us?” Kihyun said. He glanced at the side mirrors.

Hyungwon looked out the back and moved out of the way just as a bullet broke through the window.

“Yeah they are,” he said, “I count three.”

He swerved through the roads looking for a way out. They sped around a few blocks and weaved through the afternoon traffic. The ride was bumpy and caused their bodies to jerk around. Vy took out her gun and shot it out the back window at the black cars. Her first few tries did nothing. She switched onto her last cartridge and fired.

The car behind them swerved off the road and crashed into a dumpster.

“Nice one Vy!” Changkyun said.

The two other cars now caught up behind them. They separated into different lanes and sped forward. Both cars were on either side of the van. They tried to sandwich the van and push it onto another road. Kihyun smiled and Vy caught his eye through the rear view mirror. She looked away quickly unable to look at him.

“Hold on to something!” Kihyun said.

He slammed onto the brakes and they all lurched forward. The two black cars smashed into each other ahead of them and stopped. They were about to reverse when Kihyun gripped the steering wheel tightly.

“You guys might want to brace yourselves,” he said.

Vy and Hyungwon looked at each other.

Changkyun looked alarmed. “Wait, what are you doing?”

When Kihyun revved the engine and the car accelerated forward, Changkyun desperately clung to his seatbelt. Vy held onto an armrest.

The van rammed into the two cars and went right through them. Kihyun continued to accelerate and drove onto a long highway. They heard police sirens in the distance.

“We’re going to have to switch cars soon,” Kihyun said.

Hyungwon massaged his neck and spoke, “I know a guy, get onto the HC-2.”

That was when the phone rang, it was Kihyun’s phone. He answered the call and talked for a few seconds before putting the device on speaker.

“You have the room Jooheon,” Kihyun said.

There was a small crackling lag on Jooheon’s end. Then his voice came through in a slightly higher pitch. She could still hear the graveness in his tone through the noise.

“I translated the cipher…it’s not looking good you guys. This isn’t just for extra cash. There’s a whole grand scheme here…and it targets Wonho’s dad.”

There was silence in the van.

Kihyun spoke, “what else?”

There was a long pause on Jooheon’s end. “Um…I don’t know, but I’ve talked to Shownu and he wants to hold a meeting as soon as possible. Get here quick.”

Kihyun removed the phone from speaker and talked with Jooheon. Hyungwon stared off into space and punched the wall of the van.

Seeing Vy’s surprised look Hyungwon said, “sorry, I just…Seeing Min like that. And hearing what he’s involved in. This is so fucked up.”

Vy hung her head. She thought about what she had done. Though she did not feel regretful she felt bad about letting them down. This was no longer about love and heartbreak, it was about the greater good. However, when she thought about Minhyuk laying on the ground lifeless, her heart could not take it. She could not bear the thought.

They arrived at the location to switch vehicles. Wonho was woken up when they stopped and looked slightly more coherent when he stepped out of the van.

“Where…are we?” He said rubbing his eyes.

“Ah the princess is up? Here drink this, you need to be wide awake for our meeting,” Kihyun said. He handed Wonho a black bottle of liquid.

They switched into two separate cars. Kihyun and Changkyun led the way in one and Hyungwon, Vy and Wonho followed. Vy sat at the back with Wonho to check his vitals like Kihyun told her to.

“How are you feeling?” She said.

Wonho shook his head trying to wake himself up. “I don’t know what they gave me but damn, my head feels like a brick,” he then looked up at her and caught her hand as she put a cloth to his dirt covered face, “How are you? I was worried you didn’t get out in time.”

A tiny rush went through her chest. She ignored it and patted his forehead.

“I’m fine…you trained me well.”

Wonho closed his eyes and leaned back. “Of course I did.”

When they reached the apartment Vy felt her muscles start to ache. She peeled off her jacket and noticed blood on her hand. Her stitches from the nightclub shooting had come out and she began to feel the pain set in. She was about to leave when Kihyun grabbed her.

“Where are you going? We have a meeting, now.”

There was no room for argument. She put her jacket back on so nobody would see the wound and followed him to the boardroom. She expected to see Shownu sitting at the head but instead there was an older man sitting there in an expensive looking suit. The man stared at her as soon as she walked in. She felt the others tense up when they walked into the room.

The man laughed when he saw Wonho, “Ah Wonho, you look like shit!”

Wonho sighed quietly behind her. “Hello Mr. Kim.”


	30. Chapter 30

“My ass we’re doing that!” Wonho said. His voice was raised and on edge.

The whole room had an awkward tension to it. A heated discussion had been going on for several minutes but to no agreement.

Kihyun said, “You must be joking.” His voice held a tense tone.

Mr. Kim folded his hands on the table. “No it’s not a joke, you’re all off the case. Shownu has informed me of everything. Now that Mr. Park is in danger we must escalate it.”

“We’re the ones who found out all this, we’ve been the most involved since the beginning,“ Wonho said.

Shownu interrupted him, "we’re all too close to this. Especially now more than ever with Minhyuk. Due to that we’re all subject to a refurbished background check as well.”

Wonho glared at Shownu, his nose wrinkled in a scowl. Vy saw his fists clench and unclench.

She suddenly felt eyes on her. Mr. Kim was staring at her and she moved in her chair. Light shone off his shiny looking eyes and reflected off his slick black hair.

“So this is our new recruit, we have not been formally introduced,” he said as he stood and held out his hand.

Vy got up quickly and shook it. His hand was clammy and soft.

To her discomfort, he held on as he spoke. “It’s interesting how all this has come up since you arrived.” His eyes pricked her face.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Wonho said.

Mr. Kim laughed and gave Vy a small smile. “I’ve got my eyes on you,” he said as he released her hand.

She felt her face heat up from the sudden scrutiny. When she sat back down, Wonho was about to storm out of the room. He got up and slid open the doors.

“Wonho, you need to see him,” Mr. Kim said.

Wonho stopped, his back to everyone. “We’ve been through this…”

“He has important matters to discuss with you, you’ve been pissing around long enough. Play time is over.”

Vy noticed Wonho’s back tense up. He walked away before anything else was said.

“…like a god damn child…” She heard Mr. Kim mutter. He then turned to the rest of them, “Shownu can explain the rest, there’s a problem up north at the border. We’ll need a few of you to meet with Jared’s team. Enough of this business with the Hanamuri, let the big boys deal with it understood?”

Vy felt a creeping pain in her abdomen where the stitches were. She almost forgot the wound was open. Her hand pressed against her jacket above the wound as she tried to compress it. Mr. Kim turned to her with a static expression and smiled. She smiled back hoping he could not read her.

Then he got up and said goodbye. He picked up his bag and was led out by Shownu. Vy looked at Shownu as he got up and noticed that his eyes were a bit puffy and red. She wondered if he had stayed up all night.

When Shownu returned, he held the room for a few minutes explaining the new job. “Kihyun, Changkyun, and Hyungwon, you three are assigned to meet with the team up north.”

A collective groan escaped their lips and she thought she saw Kihyun roll his eyes. Afterwards, they all filed out of the room while Vy hung back and waited.

Jooheon came over. “Hey how are you doing?”

She smiled at him and played off her pain. “I’m glad we all made it back. Where’s Lana?”

He patted her shoulder and explained how Lana was told to sit in her room until further notice and not make a sound until Mr. Kim left. Vy laughed at Jooheon’s diligence and went upstairs with him. 

Lana was asleep in her bedroom when she walked in. Vy looked at her baby like face unconscious on the pillow. She could not help but smile. Making as little noise as possible, Vy got a change of clothes and decided to sneak over to the infirmary.

Once there and upon seeing no one, she shut the door and sighed loudly. The infirmary was still in disarray since her last visit with tools not in their proper place and bandages laid out.

“Fuck…” she said clutching her stomach.

She stood in front of the sink mirror and lifted her shirt. The bottom half of it was soaked with blood. The stitches had come out and her wound opened up again. She could barely look at it.

“Shit that looks rough,” said a voice behind her.

She jumped with a screech and winced when it pulled on the cut.

Wonho stood behind her, he had walked out of the bathroom. He walked over to her and checked her wound. She flinched away at first but he grabbed her hips and held her still.

“Let me see it,” he said.

She slowly lifted up her shirt to show him. His fingers lightly brushed the skin of her abdomen and it was just enough to distract her from the ever growing pain.

“Go lay down on the bed,” he said.

She did as instructed and laid herself on one of the beds. There was still blood on the sheet from when Kihyun treated her. She folded the stain away as to not look at it.

Wonho approached her with a small tray of tools. He went back to check the drawers for something.

“Are you sure you want to do this, you just got back, someone should be treating you,” Vy said.

Wonho laughed and smirked at her. “Kihyun got to me before you came here. And what kind of teacher would I be if I didn’t pick up after you?”

Vy chuckled. “Well thank you. I’m really happy to see you’re okay Wonho.”

“Nothing to thank, ah here it is,” he said with a bottle in his hand, “whiskey!”

He grabbed a tiny glass from the drawer and poured a shot. She held out her hand for it when he drank it on the spot.

He laughed when he saw her surprised expression and poured her a shot. She enjoyed the burning warmth down her throat as it distracted her from what Wonho was about to do.

She cringed at the pain and gripped the side of the bed. Wonho told her some story to distract her but she could not pay attention. After about two long minutes of suffering she looked down to see a fresh bandage.

“Wow, that was so fast,” she said.

It was then Wonho placed his hand over the wound. He slid his hand over her stomach and stayed there lightly rubbing the side of the bandage with his thumb. Vy could not help but feel small butterflies though he looked very solemn.

“I’m sorry,” he said with his head low.

“Why are you saying sorry?”

The way he gazed up at her was another look she could not comprehend. He stared at her with soft eyes. His face was bruised and beaten as small cuts and scrapes covered the usual milky whiteness. The blue tips were pushed back to reveal his entire visage and his piercings glinted in the low light.

“I pushed you, a lot. And now, you’re in here all the time and in danger. I just can’t help but feel I’m responsible for at least some of it.”

“You’re here half the time too,” Vy said. She tried to laugh a little.

“Yeah but I’m…” he said with a pause, “an animal.”

“Wonho, you’re not an animal.” She placed her hand on top of his and squeezed it. “You saved me so many times, I wouldn’t be standing here without you.”

He then placed his forehead on her hand. Her heart raced slightly at the new version of him she saw. Her other hand moved of its own accord and she placed it on his head. She ran her fingers across the back of his head in a comforting pattern. His body slowly relaxed.

In that moment the pain in her heart lightened. She could feel her own body relaxing and it made her realize how frozen she had become.

The door opened loudly and Wonho raised his head as Vy retracted her hands.

Kihyun walked in looking between them, “did I interrupt something?”

She shook her head vigorously while Wonho laughed at her.

Kihyun then noticed the tray of used tools and looked back at Vy. “What happened?”

Vy was about to say it was nothing when Wonho spoke, “she had previous wounds that opened when you guys picked me up. She sat through the ride back and the whole meeting with it bleeding out.”

Kihyun maintained an expressionless face. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

Vy could barely look him in the eye. “I just…Didn’t want to fuck anything up.”

Kihyun crossed his arms and nodded. Then as he walked out the door he said, “just take care of yourself Vy.“

Vy sighed and smiled. Wonho looked at her confusedly and she just shook her head.

“What now?” She said.

Wonho straightened up and looked out the window. “Now…we keep a low profile, but it’s not over. Fuck if I’m stopping…But I can’t promise you won’t get hurt…” He said. 

“Nobody can promise that and don’t worry about me, I have a really good teacher,” she said with a wink.

“So you’re in?”

“I’m all in.”


	31. Chapter 31

She woke up to a dull pain. Her whole body felt stiff and sore. The entire room was dark save for a green light on some piece of equipment. The glow emitted a soft blinking pattern that she stared at from across the room. She had lost track of time and decided to find some pain medication.

Carefully, she slid out of the bed and put all her weight on the better side of her body. It was her first chance to rest for a long period of time since the injury and it was sore. She put a hand over the bandage as she limped to the cabinet.

She used her phone as a light and found the medication. There was no water or cups near by so she just swallowed the two pills. They went down rough but she barely cared. She looked at the clock and saw that it was only two in the morning.

Wonho had left after giving her some food and she must have fallen asleep afterwards. Vy felt wide awake but felt that she could force herself to sleep. Then her stomach rumbled and she decided to go to the kitchen.

When she turned the light on in the kitchen there was a figure sitting by the window. A tuft of pink hair was visible through black sleeves.

“Kihyun?” She said.

He raised his head with tired eyes. “Oh, what are you doing up, you should be resting.”

“I slept too early and I’m hungry now, want some ramyun?”

He shook his head and looked back towards the window. “We’re leaving tomorrow.”

Vy’s eyes widened. “That soon?”

“Yeah, looks like they need help. But we’ll keep our eyes open. Call me if you guys need anything.”

Vy felt comforted at his words. She put her cup in the microwave when a tender voice spoke her name.

Lana stood at the door frame in shorts and a crop top. She looked at Vy with a concerned look.

“Where were you? I got scared something bad happened…” she said.

“I’m sorry, I saw you sleeping and didn’t want to disturb you. Looks like we both need a sleepy recovery,” Vy said pointing to her stomach. “How’s yours?”

“It’s fine! I think I’m healing super well and I’m making sure I eat every two to three hours!”

“Good,” Vy said with a smile.

As her food heated Vy went around the corner to go to the bathroom.

“Should I call you little pig instead of bunny?” Kihyun said from the window.

Lana deflated immediately. “My name is Lana…”

“That’s no fun, bunny.” He got up and walked over to her. “And why don’t you wear normal clothes?“

"These are normal…” she said. She barely looked at him.

Kihyun got up in her space and Lana slowly backed away from him. Her back hit a wall and she had nowhere to go. He leaned towards her and placed his hand on top of her head.

“You’re in a house full of criminals and I’m gonna be gone for a while, watch yourself bunny, someone might want to…” he leaned closer until his breath grazed her ear, “…eat you.”

With that he tossed his sweater at her and left.

When Vy returned she saw Lana cowering in the corner with a flustered expression and Kihyun was nowhere to be seen.

“Where did he go?” Vy said. She eyed the sweater in Lana’s hand.

“He-um-he’s left-gone-he went back…to-to his room,” Lana said.

“Are you okay?”

Lana nodded with vigour and Vy urged her to sit down. They sat like that for a while until Lana started nodding off on the table. Vy poked her to go back to bed.

Once back in the infirmary Vy looked out the window. The black asphalt was coated with the reflective sheen of rain. It called to her in an empty longing. She put her hand on the glass and replayed the events of Wonho’s rescue in her head.

Before it got worse she went to the drawer and took out a sleeping pill. The bed felt softer upon her return and she slowly crept under the covers. Black shadows licked the ceiling and she fell asleep watching them run down the walls.

In the morning, after she woke, she met with Wonho and Jooheon. They told her Kihyun, Changkyun, and Hyungwon had already left in the early morning. As they talked in the foyer, Shownu approached with a rolling suitcase.

“Where’re you going?“ Wonho said.

Shownu looked them in the eye with a stoic expression. "I have urgent business to take care of. Wonho I trust you to keep everything under control for the next few days.”

Wonho gave him a devilish smirk. “Boss is gone, time to go wild.“

Shownu gave a tight lipped smile and walked out the door. Wonho, Vy, and Jooheon stood there looking at one another. Then they started laughing at the collective feeling of parental absence.

Then Wonho turned to Jooheon, "we need to talk.”

Jooheon stopped laughing and became serious. He looked uncomfortable right away as if Wonho could see into his mind.

“What do you want? Please don’t make me go against Shownu’s orders. He literally just left.”

“There’s no time to waste,” Wonho said as he crossed his arms. “I know you believe this is the wrong call too, why are they making us let this go now? What did you find out when you broke through the cipher?”

Jooheon let out an exasperated groan and initiated a staring contest with Wonho. They both stood there looking at one another and Vy could see the physical toll it was taking on Jooheon. She walked up to him and put her hand on his shoulder.

“Jooheon, you don’t have to tell us anything. But if you feel something is wrong, I think it’s better to work together.”

“Aish not you too,” Jooheon said. He then lowered his head and said, “follow me.”

Vy and Wonho glanced at each other with a smile at their small victory. They went upstairs to Jooheon’s room where he got on his computer and began to open a number of files.

“What I found looks like records of all Mr. Park’s charity work. I think they’re going to use something from here to compromise him,” Jooheon said.

“So the Parks do a lot of charity?” Vy said.

Wonho nodded. “It’s not all about selling drugs and beating up low life’s. My… dads father started this as a way to help people in ways the law couldn’t.”

Vy turned to look at Wonho as he stared intently at the screen. His arms were crossed and his large biceps were visible through the cut of his shirt. He suddenly caught her eye and she looked away.

Jooheon continued, “they tracked all his activity for the last few years. I don’t even know how they got all this information. It’s impossible to tell from this what they want but they’ve been stalking Mr. Park’s activities…really thoroughly.”

Jooheon clicked through varying windows until Wonho stopped him.

“Wait, can you give me the mouse?” Wonho said.

Jooheon moved over and Wonho leaned over him. He scrolled through the different folders and clicked into one labelled “Other". It contained various sub folders with dates. One in particular caught his eye as it was from over 20 years ago. He opened it and immediately tried to close it but it would not close. The mouse was frozen. He then noticed Jooheon had his hands on the keyboard.

“Jooheon…” Wonho said.

Jooheon paid no attention to Wonho’s annoyance and began to read the scanned newspaper article that was open. “The great Park Byung Chul adopts a son, despite having a family of his own…”

“Oh my god, they even have information on Wonho’s adoption?” Vy said.

“Newspapers are public information so it wouldn’t be too hard to find this,” Wonho said.

“But why do they care? Why do they care so much about your dad?” Jooheon said. “I haven’t looked through everything yet…I was supposed to delete all this after giving the copy to Mr. Kim.”

“Hah! You asshole, you were going to keep all this information to yourself huh?” Wonho said. He clapped his hand on Jooheon’s back with a laugh. “Good job though, we need this.“

Jooheon’s body shook from Wonho’s outburst and he laughed nervously. “I just needed to know.”

“Do you need help reading through all this? It’s a lot to take in,” Vy said.

Before Jooheon could speak, Wonho interjected. “I can help Jooheon look through everything. When we find something I’ll let you know. For now, take care of yourself and your friend, she seems kind of scared of everything.”

Vy gave him a questioning look but agreed to his terms. “Don’t keep me out of the loop, I’m all in remember?”

Wonho smirked and nodded. “I know, I need you at your best now. Training is over, it’s the real deal.” He then turned to Jooheon as well, “this stays between the three of us. We can’t trust anybody so just keep your heads low.”

Jooheon and Vy spoke at the same time, “Got it.“


	32. Chapter 32

“Let’s do this,” Wonho said.

“What if it doesn’t fit?” she said. Her breath caught in her throat as she pushed her body against the hard mass.

“You just have to move it to the side, there you go, push it through, just like that.”

“Oww, it won’t go in!”

“Do you guys hear how disturbing this conversation sounds or is it just me?” Jooheon said as he walked around the corner.

They were moving a large table into Wonho’s room. It was stolen from one of the small meeting rooms downstairs.

Jooheon went up to Vy and took her side of the weight. “Let me do it, you’re injured.”

Vy smiled at his kindness. “Thanks Jooheon, I’ve been resting for almost a whole week now so it’s feeling way better.”

“Yeah I’m going to stop babying you from today, we got shit to do,” Wonho said from behind the table. He had it held up covering his face.

“This was you babying me?” Vy and Jooheon shared a look.

Once the table was inside they set it down beside the kitchen. There was no longer much room to move around but Wonho looked happy.

“Great, now we can keep all our shit here in case Shownu pulls a surprise return without telling us,” Wonho said.

“Wasn’t he supposed to be back a while ago? I thought he said he was going to be gone for a few days?” Vy said.

Wonho shrugged. “I don’t know, all I got was a text saying he’d come by later and to handle things. So I’m gonna take it as a blessing and get to work without supervision. Okay,” he gathered papers from his bed and laid them out on the table. “Jooheon and I went through most of it. There’s a shit load of information here but we can try to make some guesses. Seems like they keep concentrating on the Park’s charity work, especially the details and what we’ve been supplying. They’re mainly interested in the projects we’ve taken on. Right now we got three big projects the Park’s are involved in, building a school in eastside, a hospital in the kliffs, and a housing project on the beltline of downtown.” 

Vy looked at the map on the table where Wonho drew three large circles. He wrote on sticky notes and attached them to several parts of the gigantic map. He tapped on all three and looked at them both.

“I think the Hanamuri are planning something that’s gonna target one of these projects. The fact that they had this information…someone high up on our side is feeding them, I’ll be looking into that. Vy and Jooheon, I need you to look down all three of these leads and tell me if you can find any connection with the Hanamuri. I’ll try and give you the contact information of trustworthy sources. If anybody asks…just say that Wonho has finally taken an interest.” He looked away at the last bit.

"I’ll go pull up files of all the projects and create an associate’s list!” Jooheon said as he nodded and ran out the door.

Vy stayed and read through the notes Wonho made. She looked at him and gauged his mood.

“Why do you never talk about your father?” Vy asked.

Wonho shrugged. “Why don’t you talk about yours?”

Vy became quiet. “I didn’t mean it like that, I…”

“I know, it’s just…it’s really complicated with him. I can be close but not too close, but I can’t stray too far either. He wants me to become someone I’m not.”

Vy stood in awe as he related something so articulately without cracking a joke or getting angry. She did not want to ruin the moment and remained silent as he continued.

“But if someone is targeting him, there’s no way I’m letting this go. He’s a lot of things, but he’s also a good leader. If something happened to him-”

Vy put her hand on Wonho’s and looked him in the eye. “Nothing will happen to him, he’s got the bravest son in the world.”

In that moment Wonho looked at her in a different way. His eyes softened and she saw someone new. As if a mask had been peeled off. His hand moved up to touch her but stopped mid air and they stood there like that. Vy was paralyzed and her heart raced. Wonho hesitated and Vy cleared her throat and moved away.

Her cheeks felt warm as she spoke, “um I’ll go check on Jooheon.”

When she closed the door behind her she leaned on it and sighed. She put a hand on her heart and felt the palpitations. Then without warning she thought of…him. The one she tried to erase every day. She shook her head to get the jumbled thoughts out of her mind.

Back in her room she saw Lana sleeping soundly in bed. A smile spread across her face. She had never seen someone so capable of sleeping. Lana had been wearing the same black sweater over all her clothes for the last week. She had a sneaking suspicion that it was Kihyun’s. She could barely even fathom what was going on there.

She sat by the bed and laid down for a moment. Lana’s feet twitched slightly. Vy replayed what Wonho said, _why don’t you ever talk about yours?_

Her father. It had been an eternity since she had seen him. The carnival flashed into her mind. Then the Ferris wheel. She moved her head to the other side. During her downtime she often wondered whether to call her father. Though every time she pulled her phone out and dialed his number, her hand froze and she became distracted with something else.

Her thoughts then shifted. She wondered if Jooheon would be able to track her mother. She scoffed at herself. As if she could use their resources on a personal whim. She laid there and rubbed her eyes for a few minutes before peeling her body off the bed and heading to Jooheon’s room.

Later that evening she was walking up the street holding four bags of food. The plastic squeaked as she raced back to the apartment. A warm aroma of sweet and sour fried shrimp caressed her nose. Her thoughts became consumed with imagery of devouring it.

When she returned Lana took the bags from her and set up the table. Wonho was looking through the list that Vy and Jooheon had made from earlier in the day.

They sat around one of the tables with the food steaming in front of them. She dug into her rice and meat feeling pure ecstasy run through her body. She closed her eyes and smiled.

Jooheon laughed, “do you need a moment alone with that food?”

Vy felt pulled into the past and cracked a forced smile. “Good food is a beautiful thing.”

Wonho ate silently and continued to read through the list. Vy had divvied up the companies and people into groups with short descriptions. Jooheon was surprised at her fast ability to analyze the data.

“So it seems like they’re using one construction company for all three,” Jooheon said.

“No, they have one on a private contract they always bring onto the projects, for the extra work and to keep the others in check. I forgot the name though, when you find out let me know,” Wonho said.

The next morning Vy and Jooheon were out to begin their investigation. The cold wind slapped her hair against her face and caution tape twirled in front of her. She stood in front of a large construction site.

The buildings looked complete for the most part except that some of them had no balconies or windows. They towered at mid riser height. The site was starting to pick up its activities as it was still early in the morning.

Jooheon came up behind her with two cups of coffee in his hand. He handed one to Vy which she took gratefully.

The dirt crunched below their feet as they walked forward. Vy put on a hard hat and took out her ‘badge’. They got into the construction zone unmonitored for a few minutes until someone came out of a storage container office and stopped them. Vy showed them her fake credentials and was admitted inside after signing in.

“I rarely get to go out so this is super awesome!” Jooheon said. His voice jumped around the air around them.

Vy smiled and led them through the area. “We should try and find an employee list here.”

Jooheon’s eyes twinkled. “Just get me one of their computers.”

Vy headed around one of the buildings and looked at one central temporary office. It stood on cement blocks in the middle of gravel piles. A large man with a stack of files walked into the office and she could only assume that was the foreman.

“I think there’ll be a computer in there, I’ll distract him and you try to get in and out as quick as you can,” Vy said.

Jooheon nodded in response and headed towards the office around the back. Vy approached it with a forced air of confidence. Her heart was speeding up slightly and she tried to overpower her nerves. Wonho’s instructor voice echoed in her mind, _you can do better than that!_

She knocked on the door and the same man came out with a rough expression. A permanent scowl was etched on his face and through the wrinkles of his skin she saw flecks of dirt and dust. She began to speak, spouting whatever she could about the importance of environmental impact in building construction. With each word she led him further away from the door of the office until they stood outside beside one of the large gravel piles.

From the corner of her eye she saw Jooheon sneak inside and she prayed to keep his attention. Panic arose in her heart when the foreman started to walk away but she called for him once more in an urgent tone and continued to discuss her case on construction habits. Just when he looked at her like it was the last straw she noticed Jooheon dash out of the office. With a pleasant smile she thanked the foreman for his time and turned around.

“Oh, one more thing sir!” She said.

The man turned around looking incredibly annoyed. “What?”

“I noticed another construction company here, who are they?” She sweetened her voice to the fullest extent.

“Jayco Construction,” said the man. With that he walked back into his office and slammed the door.

Vy did a double take for a moment at the name. “Jayco…Jayco?” She said to herself.

Then it dawned on her and the whole place became ten times more uncomfortable. She turned away quickly and ran back to Jooheon.

“We have to go, now,” she said grabbing his arm and dragging him away.

She saw the fences of the site and raced towards it without looking too suspicious. However a large forklift got in their way. Vy tapped her foot while they waited for it to pass.

“What’s gotten into you?” Jooheon said.

That was when a gruff voice yelled from behind them. A group of workers walked towards them and as if on queue she recognized the person she was trying to get away from.

She saw his eyes widen in surprise and then turn into anger when he recognized her. His snarling expression was always the same. She would never forget her father’s disdain.


	33. Chapter 33

The crisp air floated around her neck and other exposed areas of skin. Chills ran up her back as she faced the angry face of her father. Of the men he was with, one of them held up a hard hat and waved it at her.

Numbly, her hand reached up to her head and she felt the soft locks of her own hair. She must have taken it off at some point in the construction zone. She walked with hesitation but forced a warm smile at the worker who gave her the hat. His coffee stained teeth popped out and looked as if to take a bite.

She could feel her father staring and could not help but look at him. He glared at her with strong disdain. His eyes were dark, glossy, and held the permanent bags of alcoholism. The creases of his face were a sea of wrinkles whose tanned tides rose and fell with each angry breath. One of his workers clapped him on the shoulder and looked between the two.

“What’s up, you two know each other or somethin’?” He said.

She froze not knowing what to say. This was the last place she wanted any recognition. It was her father that spoke next.

“No, think I drank some sour milk this mornin’,” he said and looked elsewhere.

With that he turned around and walked away. She stood there in pure shock. The other men waved at her and went on their way as well. Jooheon came to her and patted her on the shoulder to leave. She watched her father retreat back to the site and disappear from view. Continuing to stand there for a few moments, she reevaluated what just happened. Jooheon had to gently push her shoulder to get her attention. They began walking towards the exit again.

“What was that about?” Jooheon said.

Vy shook her head. “Forgot my hat.” She spoke clearly but her thoughts were clouding like milk being poured into a glass of water.

She did not wish to vocalize what thoughts floated around her mind. Her father was a poison and if what he just did was supposed to be an antidote it only made the poison more potent. Why had he acted like he did not know her? Did he finally realize what she did for work and decided that was it, it was time to disown the bitch?

So many questions popped up in her mind that she had to physically shake her head to rattle them out. Jooheon kept quiet during their train ride back home. She appreciated his lack of queries.

When they returned to the apartment it felt completely empty. She ran her hands across the walls where the occasional patch of paint flaked off. The hallway was silent save for Jooheon’s footsteps. She suddenly felt a sense nostalgia for this place. As if in moments it might be snatched out of her reach. The impermanence of her situation hit her in large waves and with each slap of cold realization she descended into a numb state.

“Vy, are you okay?” Jooheon said.

Vy looked at him and felt disconnected from the moment. Every thing moved slowly and the air was suffocating.

“I’m fine…”

Jooheon looked away and crossed his arms. “Okay, I’m going to start a background check on all the workers and look the through what files I collected. Maybe go get some rest and meet me in my room when you’re ready.” With that he left her standing there.

With each passing moment the numbness of her thoughts paralyzed her. She could barely move from the spot where she stood. Her thoughts were a dark chamber, with dim flashes of her dismal life. From walking away from her father, seeing someone get hit by a car, to finding Minhyuk at the hotel. The memories whirled around her with an impish delight and all she did was stop and stare into a deep abyss. The more she watched the more she went into herself.

Rough hands grabbed her by the shoulder and shook her violently. She snapped out of her reverie and threw her hands up to stop the shaking.

“What the hell are you doing!” She said.

Wonho looked her with a twinkle in his eye. “You were giving out the crazy eyes for a second, not the wild crazy, but just as bad. I can’t have you losing your head Vy, we’re too understaffed.”

She scoffed. “I’m not losing my head, I was just thinking…”

He suddenly grabbed her and brought her to his chest. Her heart raced wildly. One hand was on her head and his other arm was wrapped around her waist in a sweet embrace. She was paralyzed once again, but this time it was different. Her impish memories seemed to dissolve with his touch and all she could smell was him. She felt the hard muscles through his shirt and yet there was a softness to his body that engulfed her.

“I don’t know what happened at the construction site today and you don’t have to tell me. There’s too many reasons for people like us to lose it, but that’s why we can’t think too much. Don’t think, just do. Like me,” he said.

He pulled back and flashed her a million dollar smile that sent her heart palpitations to a dangerous speed. Her gaze fell low and she thanked him after stating she should go find Jooheon.

Hand on her chest she went up the stairs to her room. After checking on Lana and exchanging their usual pleasantries, Vy went to Jooheon. They worked together for hours on different leads.

Vy could feel the pull of fatigue on her eyes. She rubbed her face and continued to stare at the computer screen in front of her. There were so many files to glance through. It seemed the construction company kept fairly organized. She saw many change notices on the design of the apartments and started reading through them. Ten out of two hundred and eight. She sighed.

“Vy! I found something…”

She practically jumped out of her chair to see what Jooheon found. Anything to get her out of the monotonous ticking of her mind.

“Okay so I don’t know a lot about structural design but I used to work as a tradesperson back in the day. I’m looking at the materials here and there’s a ton of stuff missing. Some items I don’t even think are to standard,” he said pointing to the list on his monitor.

Vy leaned over him and read as if she understood the material list. “What does this mean,” she said.

“We need to tell Wonho because the structure is already up and I don’t know how much time there’s left before something bad happens,” Jooheon said. His forehead was creased with worry.

It was then the entire building shook. Vy felt the tremors through her whole body. She would have fallen from the shaking but she held on to Jooheon’s chair. They looked at each other as the quaking stopped but her stomach dropped in an anxious manner.

Jooheon put his hands on the table for stability and said, “what the hell was-”

Another tremor occurred. Vy felt it strongly coming from the east side of the building near the back entrance. Jooheon and Vy ran downstairs where Wonho stood with an angry look on his face. Lana was also standing with him with crossed arms and a worried expression.

“What’s happening?” Vy said.

Wonho pointed to the cracked window on the east side. The glass looked more like an abstract piece of art on the wall. The see through quality of the window depreciated greatly from whatever was causing the tremors. She walked over to the window with a light step, carefully avoiding the broken glass all over the floor. Smaller pieces crunched underneath her shoes.

On the lower corner of the glass was one redeemable piece that retained its original clarity. She leaned towards it and looked through. Though warped, a fairly clear image of the back was seen. She saw the familiar green patches of grass and the road she took for runs.

A large yellow mass perverted the scene that used to be familiar to her. It sat their looking large and bulky. She urged her eyes to focus on it and noticed that it looked more like a tank than a vehicle.

“Is that a bulldozer?” She said.

Before Wonho could answer another quake occurred. It was so violent they all lost their balance. She winced in pain when she fell on the broken glass. Then an ominous sound occurred that echoed through the room. It was the sound of the brick cracking on the east wall. They stayed down once it became silent again.

Wonho looked at Vy with worry but she gave him a thumbs up. She sat up and picked small shards of glass from her arm. Then a shrill ringing sound occurred that made her jump. Wonho pulled out his phone and his face turned into a scowl in seconds.

He took the phone away from his ear and put it on speaker.

As he held it out towards them all, an icy voice spoke, “Evenin’, I realize this might have been excessive but I needed to make sure you knew I was here. My name is Pat. I got my boys here with me and we are more than ready to take you all down, so I hope you’ll take a listen to what I gotta say.”

“What do you want?” Vy said.

“Oh, I do believe that is you isn’t it? Glad you asked sweetheart, I want you. You killed my brother, and the Chain Crew just won’t stand for that.”


	34. Chapter 34

The stale walls whined underneath flaking paint. The integrity of the building depreciated with each passing second. Her hands began to shake at the sound of silence after what was said.

_You killed my brother…._

She had to dive deep into her memory to access those files. So much had happened since that day that she felt as though it happened several years ago. In reality it happened only months ago and that was the first person she had killed. Her head hung in guilt. A small lawyer inside her screamed that it was only in self defence but she doubted these people would see reason. A surprise visit with a bulldozer took out most reasoning.

“He tried to kill us, we had no choice,” Vy said. She felt out of breath after speaking.

The glass below her feet crackled as she walked towards the phone Wonho held. Lana and Jooheon stood off to the side where she stared at Vy with a look of worry on her face. A raspy chuckle rang through the phone.

“Sweetheart, none of us got a choice, but we always gotta answer to the consequences,” he said. There was a long pause and short whistle on the other side of the line. “I don’t think you want all your friends to get stuck under this building, which is what will happen if you don’t march out here right now.”

Vy looked around at the others. Wonho looked distant while Jooheon and Lana both shook their heads at her.

Jooheon mouthed silently, “don’t do it.”

She smiled warmly at him and felt her heartbeat slow. From the cracking pressure of the building around them to the shattered glass spilled like teardrops on the floor. It all felt final. In that moment she got up and faced the window. A broken blur of the yellow bulldozer loomed ahead of her. She was about to take a step towards the door when she heard Wonho begin to laugh behind her.

“What a fucking joke, you’re Eric right? Phil was a shithead and got what he deserved. I killed him, slit his throat like a pig,” Wonho said.

There was a moment of silence where only the odd glitch of the audio signal would occur.

“They told me not to touch you, but that I can have her,” the man on the phone said. 

Wonho laughed once again. “So your brother dies and you still can’t man up? No wonder Phil got the gang, you just don’t have it in you.”

The phone was cut immediately and the floor began to shake as the bull dozer raised its arm and was forced through the wall. Brick and dust flew everywhere as chaos ensued. The window shattered completely and jagged pieces of glass let them view a team of approximately ten begin to swarm their compound.

“Jooheon grab the files! Vy and Lana get the car!” Wonho said.

Wonho’s voice broke them all out of a hypnotic trance and they leapt into action. Vy took Lana’s hand in hers and started to run when she looked back and noticed Wonho standing still as the walls were breaking around him.

“Wonho! What are you doing!” She said.

He turned to her looking dazed. His lips parted like petals falling off a rose as he sighed. His fists were balled and for a split second he looked like a lost child.

He put one hand on the wall and gazed at it longingly. She realized that this was the end for their little home and felt his sadness drudge through the polluted air around them.

The spark in his eyes lit up as he yelled at her to go and that he would follow. Vy led Lana around the corner and quickly ran to the armoury. She put as many guns as she could stuff into a duffle bag and threw Lana a pair of keys.

“Run towards the hall, make a left, and go down the wooden steps. That will lead you to the garage, we’ll take the SUV. I’ll meet you there in two minutes,” she said.

Lana nodded and ran out. She paused midway through the hall, “be careful Vy.”

Vy grabbed two handguns and as many refills as she could fit in her pockets. There was a large tremor that violently shook the whole building. She could feel the structure breaking. Her heart fell at the thought of it being destroyed.

She ran down the hall and met Jooheon on the way. They both got to the garage and saw Lana standing beside a black SUV. It was dusty and it’s dark paint gleamed in a dull way.

Vy jumped into the front as Jooheon and Lana got in. From the corner of her eye she saw a streak of blonde rush past her. Wonho was ahead of her and got into his black four door vehicle.

She opened the door and yelled at him. “Wonho, what are you doing?”

He looked back at her with a smirk. “Trust me jagi,” he said and then his eyes narrowed with a murderous glare, “I’ll lead them away.”

“We can do it together,” Vy said.

“No! Get the fuck out of here and go evacuate the people at the construction site!”

Before Vy could say anything shots fired in the garage. She ducked with a curse and shut the door. Jooheon looked at her with a grim expression from the passenger’s seat.

She started the car and it lurched forward. She drove past Wonho and he gave a casual wave from his car. His lip piercing glinted at her as he smiled widely. His eyes looked dark and angry despite his nonchalant smile. He had his leather jacket on and Vy could not help but feel the warm tightness in her chest when she looked at him. Though this time it was twisted into a knot of anxiety.

She accelerated before the bullets gained too much volume. Daring not to look back, she pressed her foot onto the pedal and rushed out of the driveway. The gravel crunched beneath the tires and the uneven road made the car shake. It was pitch black outside save for light streaming from a few dim streetlamps. She could hear the Chain crew behind them as they ran after the car. The stream of bullets broke through the back window and suddenly she feared if they would make it out.

Then Wonho’s car burst from the garage at a dangerous speed. He held the steering wheel in one hand and an automatic in the other. He swerved towards the ones firing at their SUV and shot at them. That window was enough for them to drive a safe distance away. Her and Jooheon were on the edge of their seats when they drove along the main road away from the scene.

Vy turned into a road that circled outwards towards their building to see if Wonho was leaving as well. They saw his car swerve around the building and stop in front of the bulldozer.

“What is he doing?” She said.

Jooheon leaned on the dash to get a better look from the distance. “I have no idea. Its so hard to see anything…”

Then they saw pieces of the building start to fall as if it were a slow motion film. Vy’s eyes widened as she saw Wonho get out of the vehicle.

********************* ********************* ********************* ********************* 

Wonho coughed out the powdered brick and spat on the ground as he stepped out of his car. The air around him was filled with a cloud of crushed sediment. He took out his gun and shot at the bull dozer. He knew he hit his mark once the arm ceased to move.

Piles of brick and cement laid around him with metal bars coming out of some pieces.

“Hey asshole!” Wonho said aloud.

A man emerged from the cloud of sediment. He wore loose fitting cargo pants and an olive shirt. His shades remained shiny as ever as he approached Wonho.

“I just wanted the girl Wonho, now look at what you’ve done,” Eric said.

“No, look at what you’ve done,” Wonho said. His voice dropped low as he dived towards Phil’s brother.

Wonho knocked the sunglasses off of his face. Eric attempted to kick Wonho after rolling him off. Wonho caught his foot and pulled it sharply. He then twisted Eric’s leg and heard a cry of pain. He smiled at the sound.

The earth cracked around them and he began to feel piles of brick fall to the ground. The building was coming down. He was hit in the face and immediately felt blood in his mouth. Eric was up and holding a metal bar.

Wonho ducked when the bar was swung at him and then he charged towards Eric. He tackled him to the ground. He then crouched over Eric and punched him. He kept punching until there was little to no resistance.

The building crumbled loudly as larger pieces fell around them.

Eric spat out blood along with a tooth and started laughing. “They say when you’re out for revenge, dig two graves, looks like this is where we both go.”

Wonho jumped off of him as the structure gave way and began to fall. Within seconds a large piece of cement fell on Eric's body.

Wonho started running as the entire building fell around him.


	35. Chapter 35

“No…no, he got out, he must have got out…” Vy started to ramble.

Her heart beat out of her chest and she felt a cold sweat build up on her neck and underneath her arms. Suddenly she felt like throwing up. She stopped the car and got out of it staring at the dark cloud of dust that emerged from the horrible pile of cement and brick in the distance. She could barely see anything aside from strange reflections coming off of the broken materials.

Jooheon and Lana both got out and looked at the site. They were a fair distance away but could still make out the shapes of the Chain crew jumping ship. They scattered and ran away from the scene like cockroaches. Her blood might have been boiling but all she felt was an icy terror.

Jooheon started to speak with a heavy voice, “Vy…I don’t know-“

“He got out Vy, I know he did,” Lana said. She gave Jooheon a side look that silenced him.

Vy shook her head and stormed back to the car. They followed her wordlessly and got inside.

“We’re going back to see…If he’s not there, he got out, if we find him, then-” Vy said as her voice gave out. She concealed a sob and bit her cheek to stop herself.

Now was not the time for emotions. She reversed the car and rushed back to their destroyed home. Though she suddenly felt as though it had been destroyed long before it fell. It took all her strength to push her thoughts away and keep driving.

The streetlights led them down the dark road. Vy sped towards the scene but had to park several feet away as the remains of the structure blocked their path. The car jerked to a stop and she took a deep breath before removing her hands off the steering wheel.

“Vy, you don’t have to do this, Jooheon and I can look around,” Lana said. She put a hand on Vy’s shoulder.

Vy looked back and gave her a small smile. “No, it’ll be faster if we all do it.”

They exited the vehicle and began searching. Each of them turned on flashlights from their phones and went their separate ways. Vy told Lana to stay close to her, however, as they could not be sure if all the cockroaches had left.

She walked over to where the bulldozer used to be. Now there was a large pile of chunks of cement with the ghost of a mechanical yellow arm sticking out. The flashlight cast heavy shadows around her from the perverse rubble. What was once a lively home became lifeless matter in the span of a few minutes. She had come to learn the impermanence of things at an early age and that some things never even had the chance to begin.

The area looked like an eternal heap of destruction. There was no horizon in sight when she bent down in the rubble and lifted cement blocks to shine her flashlight through every hole, gap, and crevasse she encountered. She yelled his name hundreds of times over a span of hours. Finally Vy, Jooheon, and Lana met up again on the edge of the site.

The three of them stared at it once more as the moon hung obscurely in the midnight sky. There was a greyish silver cast to everything that made the skin crawl and ache. Their bodies suddenly felt immensely tired. Vy put on a smile for the other two and went back to the car.

“This means he’s fine! We’d better go out again and warn those contractors!” She heard the shrillness of her own voice and recoiled internally.

Her forced hopefulness at not finding Wonho was merely a mask for the true fear. She should have been ecstatic they did not find anything and yet not finding him increased her worry. She wondered horrible things, the worst of which, if she would ever see him again.

Their headlights shone against the road ahead of them. Most of the drive was lonely as it was still an ungodly hour. It would be a few hours still before the early birds came out. Jooheon directed Vy to a motel on the opposite side of downtown. She took instructions well enough, like a robot. She nodded and turned left and right as directed. The road ahead looked like a black abyss.

She was sitting in the room as Jooheon settled their arrangements at the front office. Lana was in the bathroom taking a shower. Vy stared at the stark orange curtains. The yellow flowers screamed at her while the red and pink paisley wallpaper added to the torturous visual cacophony. She closed her eyes and put a hand to her chest. Her whole body felt displaced and she began to develop a migraine.

When the doorknob turned she straightened up and put her hand down.

“Okay we have this place for the next few days and we can pay as we go after that. How are you?” Jooheon said. He walked over to the desk and put his bag down.

Vy watched him take out the charger, mouse, and keyboard in a ritualistic fashion. “I’m okay, we need to tell everyone what happened.”

“You’re right, we need to call them soon. And contact Shownu, wherever he is. Are we going back to the site in a few hours?”

Vy nodded when Jooheon turned in his chair to look at her.

“You should get some rest Vy, at least for a couple hours,” Jooheon said, “I’m going to try and call the guys.”

She smiled and reassured him not to worry. After that she walked to her bedroom and laid down. The ceiling was off white and the fan was off centre. The blades gleamed with a dull shine and yet looked maliciously sharp. A guillotine floated above her head but she felt that way for a long time.

Turning to her side she pulled out her phone and called Wonho. Each ring pulled at her chest like a hook on a string. It went to voice message. She called another two times and when those attempts failed she sent a text message to his phone. It contained many threats and curses but the worry was unconcealed.

Just as the black sky began to show its gradient into a deep navy blue, Jooheon and Vy got in the car. A grave silence fell around everything at that hour, covering the streets like a blanket. The pavement was sleek with morning dew and she felt the chill through the closed windows. Every time she blinked, flashes of the destruction played behind her eyelids. It was inescapable and she did not want to escape it. Any idea or any breakthrough would help her figure out what happened to Wonho. She remembered their last interaction, when he embraced her. The memory hooked around her chest and pulled at it painfully.

“I think the foreman might be here already, that’s probably his car, good. If we can explain to him before people get here then we might be able to solve this one quickly,” Jooheon said, “Oh and I tried calling Kihyun, Hyungwon, and Changkyun, but I don’t think they have service up north. We might have to drive go to them after this.”

Vy nodded and wondered what they were doing up north that was so cut off. Who knows how long that drive would be, especially with Wonho missing. She felt like they were walking through quicksand.

They walked to the storage crate with the windows. The lights were on inside of it and through the thin blinds she could see the silhouette of a large person walking around. The light spilled out of the window in hard yellow streaks against the pitch black site.

They knocked on the metal door and she heard shuffling inside. After a few minutes it opened to the same hard faced man she has talked to that previous morning. He gave them both a glare and when he recognized her, scowled.

“Ah what the fucks with you green types, it’s not even workin hours yet, Jesus,” he said. He almost slammed the door but Vy stopped it with her foot.

Jooheon and her walked inside and closed the door. He eyed them and put his hands at his hips.

“What the hell do you want?”

“We need to talk to you, there’s something terribly wrong here,” Jooheon said.

As he began talking, they all heard the crunch of gravel outside as the workers began filling in with their cars.

“Wait, they’re already here?” Vy said peeking out the window.

“Yeah my boys start earlier than most, now what the hell are you two going on about?”

Vy turned back at him and pleaded. “Please, don’t let them get into that site, it’s not reliable! Have you checked your materials list? Have you checked the integrity of what’s being built? Someone has cut you short of proper building material and it’s them who will pay for it!”

He looked at her after the outburst and went back behind his desk. Vy noticed an odd expression on his face. It was half worry and half something she could not recognize.

She pushed it aside in her mind and slammed her hands on his desk. “Do you want your men to die?”

What she did not see, however, was the gun he grabbed from under his desk and now held away from their view. He also pushed a silent alarm several minutes ago as she began yelling.

They heard a loud screeching sound and Vy and Jooheon looked at each other. Screams erupted from outside and the screeching became a bellow of metal on its last ounce of strength. Jooheon and Vy ran outside and saw a large metal beam jut out unnaturally from the side of the unfinished building. Three men hung from it screaming. From that angle and that height they could be mistaken for children.

“Fuck, what are we going to do? Call the police!” Vy said.

She pulled out her phone when a bullet was fired close to her feet. The foreman glared at her angrily.

“You dial one more number and I won’t miss,” he said.

The other men raced around the site in a panicked scramble. She searched through every face looking for her father. He was nowhere in sight and for a tiny fraction of a moment she felt relieved yet at the same time wondered whether he should have replaced a more innocent man hanging from that beam. She shook her head away from the thought.

Things escalated when one persons arm slipped. He hung by one hand and screamed for his life. He tried to grab at the man beside him in one last attempt. It was that attempt that caused his hand to lose traction and slip. He fell like a toy from the edge of a table. There was no loud crashing sound or breaking. Just a horrible thud on the gravel. The sound of finality. That was when the uproar occurred. The beam continued to bend and the rest of the beams connected to it groaned with a similar deadly ache.

People pushed past her and the whole site became chaos. Jooheon and Vy took that chance to get away from the foreman.

“Vy do you see that?” Jooheon said pointing to the main entrance of the site.

A panel black van pulled in and the door slid open. And when she saw who came out of it all her senses snapped. As if the overhead above her finally came crashing down in one suffocating sweep. She felt sparks over her body crackling like icy slaps and waves across the base of her skull.

Soo climbed out in heels and a tight pantsuit. Her hair was let loose in cascading curls that bounced with her walk. Vy lunged, gun out.

She was about to cock it when Jooheon wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her away. She was surprised at his strength as he almost knocked her balance off.

“What the fuck Jooheon let me go! It was because of her! It’s all because of her! She told them where the apartment was, it was her!”

“We can’t right now Vy! This place is about to go down, and they’re probably here for us! We need to warn Mr. Park and get the guys!”

She stayed where she was and was about to speak up when Jooheon interrupted her. “Don’t you think I want to kill her too? My life was in that building. Everything. It’s all gone now. They took our brother, took our home, now their trying to kill us all and destroy the city. I want to kill them all. But we need to preserve what we can first.”

She blinked in shock at how mature he sounded and her hand fell limp in his. They ran from the site just as the beams began to crash around them. It felt as though she would never escape the destruction that surrounded them. Did they ever even leave their building? Or did rubble always look the same no matter where it was, cold, desolate, and hopeless?

************************* ************************* ************************* ************************* 

Slow pain built up over time. It was a soft burn that peeled away into a sharp ache on his left temple. He coughed and felt a hollow echo in his chest. The feeling returned to every limb as his consciousness awakened.

Tendrils slapped his skin in a sweeping fashion and out of alarm he opened his eyes and tried to get up. His bare arm scraped against broken cement which trapped his hand. The sky was turning into what looked like noon and clouds floated in aimless swirls. It suddenly made him dizzy to look at so he aimed his gaze towards the ground.

He sat on a bed of grass, quite a few feet away from the wreckage. He saw parts of furniture sticking out, mashed into the grey porridge that was their home. He thought for a moment about how he got there and slowly the memories trickled in. After his fight with Eric, he ran to clear the area but had to jump out and something must have knocked his head. He felt the top left side of his scalp and winced when he hit a sore spot, dried blood left on his fingertips. He would have to get a look at that.

Now the issue of his arm. He wriggled it as carefully away from the jagged sides of the cement as he could, but eventually his patience waned and he yanked his arm out with a growl. Some skin peeled back and only a fraction of blood. Good enough.

He got up and leaned on the rubble for balance. It was eerily quiet. The wind blew silently around him in a cool sweep and he heard small pebbles move of their own accord. They skittered across the dirt as if to get away. His stomach bellowed and he smirked wondering if there might be a cup of ramyun hidden in the wreckage.

Hands on his hips he paused looking into the city. It was a fair distance away and from the looks of it there were no cars left. Reflexively he felt his pocket for a phone and pulled it out. The screen was smashed to the point where he saw little green circuit boards behind it. He tossed it in the heap and it shattered on impact.

His head throbbed but he ignored it while deliberating his next move. The time had come to go to his father. The Chain crew destruction was more than a brother’s revenge, Eric was stupid but he was not that stupid. Or perhaps he was since he got himself killed. Regardless, he believed that it was only getting worse. As if every event was leading to an awful point of no return and every event itself was irreversible.

With a deep exhale he clicked his tongue at the scene and walked towards the edge of the road. It would eventually take him to the city belt line where he could get on the train and go to his father. He looked back wistfully at the remnants of his former home and his hand clenched into a fist.

What he did not notice was that a bland figure was several feet behind him. The figure’s shadows were blended away by the rubble and the loud ringing in his ear from the crash caused him to unknowingly ignore the barely audible sounds of the pursuit. He walked on looking like a mess, powdered brick smeared on his skin and clothes, dried blood on his head and hands. At this rate he would be questioned by the police.

On his walk he stopped by a small river and hoped it was not a sewage connected canal. He leaned down and splashed water on his face and body. It smelled okay enough. The water eased his pain and felt refreshing on his body. That was when he got a prickly feeling at the back of his neck. He cocked his head at an angle and could only hear the ringing but he sensed something was wrong. For a few minutes he sat absolutely still. There was nothing.

Looking down the canal he saw a line of shoddy looking tents and old couches. He remembered the time him and Vy started their investigation like this. His heart lurched at the thought of her and he hoped they had gotten out okay. He got up and went back on his way to the trains. The prickly feeling never did leave him.


	36. Chapter 36

Only during the second hour after the fall did his ears begin to regain normal hearing ability. The ringing lessened and he heard the regular sounds of a large city. Cars honking, tons of footsteps, air winding through the towers, and a constant chatter that merged into white noise. He went to a payphone in a subway station and shoved some quarters into the slot. The phone purred in his ear and with one click a low annoyed voice answered.

“What?”

“Mr. Kim, it’s Wonho, I need to see my father. He’s pretty inaccessible from the outside so can you just let him know I’m coming? There’s been a problem,” he said. He hung his thoughts up waiting for a response.

There was a long pause until Mr. Kim said, “what happened? Tell me and I’ll relay the information to our men, do you need assistance?”

“No I want to see him, he’s in danger. I think someone is after him, trying to get him arrested.”

There was another long pause. Wonho heard a deep sigh on the other end of the phone and thought Mr. Kim might have started walking.

“You did what Wonho? That is treason! How can you even think of such a thing? We will never give you money for that!” Mr. Kim shouted into his ear and with a click the phone disconnected. 

Wonho’s face scrunched up in confusion. What the hell was he talking about? The prickly feeling at the back of his neck increased to a distracting level. He got out of the subway station and onto the streets. His conversation with Mr. Kim now made him question everything. He knew there was a traitor in their midst and after that he was pretty sure about his suspicions. There was no way Mr. Kim would let him near his father.

He went across the street and decided to jack a car, he needed distance away from whoever was tracking him. It took him a while to catch on to the fact he was being followed but once he did, his moves were planned carefully. He wondered why the person was only following him, what order were they waiting for? When would they reveal themselves? He was not in the mood for a fight, though as the anger for Mr. Kim’s treachery settled in he changed his mind.

He walked into an alley and disappeared. It did not take long for the person following him to sneak inside. They thought they were unseen but became utterly confused to see that Wonho was not there. Wonho noticed that his pursuer was a younger looking boy with a focused face. His eyebrows were straight and thick, pointed down into an arrow on his face. He wore a black rain coat and jeans and was holding something in his pocket with a death grip.

Wonho jumped down on top of the boy and smashed his head onto the concrete. For a second he wondered if he killed the kid but the boy was surprisingly fluid and rolled away from Wonho in one smooth sweep. He was on his feet in seconds. Wonho went in for a punch but boy ducked and gave him a roundhouse kick to the head.

Wonho shook his head and staggered back. “Alright kid, I don’t wanna go too long here, I already had a fucking building fall on top of me, pretty sure my father’s cousin in law is planning a coup, and on top of that, haven’t even confessed to the girl cause when is the right time? So lemme just tell you how many of my fucks are gone. There’s certainly none left for you,” he said.

The boy scowled and ran towards Wonho. He read the boy’s expression and caught his fist and leg. Wonho picked him up and slammed him against a concrete wall. The boy crumpled to the ground and bled through his mouth. Wonho grabbed him by the scruff and took away his gun.

“Tell me who sent you and I won’t kill you. Like I said, I’m out of fucks, so just tell me and I’ll forget about this.”

The boy’s serious facade began to fade and he looked younger as each second passed. Wonho’s mouth became a thin line when he realized the boy was not even eighteen. He was disappointed but also impressed.

“They’re gonna kill me anyway, I didn’t succeed,” the boy said.

“Just get out of town, I’ll keep them busy enough, they’ll forget all about you,” Wonho said with a smirk.

The boy paused as a struggle went across his face. He breathed in and out with a pensive look. Wonho counted to ten in his head in order to not lose his patience. Then the boy gurgled out a name.

“Kim sir….after your phone call, he wanted me to kill you. He’s going to tell your father you did this, that you’re the betrayer trying to get him arrested and dissolve the Park legacy.”

Wonho clenched his teeth and let the boy go. He fished into his wallet and pulled out some cash. He handed it to the boy telling him to buy a ticket out of town.

“I better not see your face again,” Wonho said. 

The boy gave a thoughtful look and ran off. Wonho was not sure whether he would take the money and leave or think he had a chance back with Mr. Kim. If he told Mr. Kim, Wonho would lose his advantage but the kid would be killed. He was depending on the boy’s sense of self preservation and hoped his act of mercy would come through.

His rage rose with each thought of Mr. Kim. Pinning him for betraying his father. The adopted son finally making the father regret everything, how fucking cliche. He punched the dumpster so hard his knuckles bled. The droplets of red he saw poisoned the rest of his vision until everything was painted in blood.

****************** ****************** ****************** ****************** 

She pulled the car over to a truck stop while Lana slept in the passenger’s seat. It had been about twelve hours of driving. It was shocking how much the girl could sleep. She put a hand under Lana’s nose to double check she was breathing. Warm puffs of carbon dioxide brushed her fingertips.

The air smelled of fried foods and diesel. She could taste the grease well before she saw the bright heat lamps outlining cheese dusted taquitos. The aisles were filled with a polarizing combination of necessities and excess. She took a first aid kit and food. The healthiest items she could find contained processed and liquefied fruits, good enough.

On her way back to the car she noticed Lana stirring awake. With a slam of the door Lana’s eyes fluttered open and she yawned.

“Where are we?” She said. Her eyes drooped dreamily.

“We’re about eight more hours away from where their post is. I don’t have much information to go on other than that but I’m hoping Jooheon can send us their coordinates soon.”

“Are you alright Vy? I know it was hard leaving, even though you wanted to go see Mr. Park,” Lana said.

Vy put the bags in the back of their car and pulled out two waters. “I wanted to be there, in case…But Jooheon was right, it makes more sense for him to alert Mr. Park and for us to gather Kihyun and the guys. I just wanted…”

“You wanted to see if Wonho was there,” Lana said.

Vy looked up at her as the mention of his name hit her chest like a hammer. She cleared her throat and gulped. “Yeah, I just need to see him.”

Lana took Vy’s hand and squeezed it without another word. “Come on let’s get out of here before I eat all the fried chicken in this place. The smell is killing me…”

Vy chuckled and started the car. Lana pressed the button for the radio and turned to the pop station. The upbeat music moved her mind away from the usual horrors and she distracted herself in rhythms. The road was smooth and straight ahead of her.

After a few hours she switched with Lana and sat in the passenger’s seat. The conversation dipped into a low murmur of words until the world slipped away.

There he was in a pool of water so cloudy it could have been milk. He just looked up at her with a slight squint. His lips were parted and glossed over. She had her hands over the tub and leaned over him. He beckoned her to come closer. Water droplets clung to his skin and he lifted a wet hand to her face. It was cold as ice. She leaned in to touch her lips to his when the milky water turned red, poisoned with blood. She looked up, horrified, to see that it was no longer Wonho but a corpse in the water looking up at her. Its sockets were deep and dark with cockroaches climbing out of it. A scream might have escaped her throat had the corpse not shot out its bony hand to crush her windpipe.

She did not realize she fell asleep until she was poked lightly. A hand went up to her neck to see if a skeletal one was clasped around it but there was nothing.

“We’re here sleepy head,” Lana said, “you slept for about five hours.“

Vy raised her brows and looked outside. It was night and the only light was coming from their own headlights. She rubbed her face for a few minutes and looked at her phone. Jooheon had messaged her with new coordinates.

“Looks like we can round up the boys after all, there’s an outpost a couple hours away where they’re stationed, I can drive the rest of the way.”

The rest of the drive went by quickly. She realized why it was so impossible to connect to the rest of the guys, there was nothing out on the road. The last house or farm she saw was many miles away. It was grassy and empty. The odd nocturnal animal would shine its devilish eyes from across the road at the sight of headlights. Other than that there was nothing in the vast expanse of the countryside. Even the radio stopped connecting to a station. She turned off the crackling attempt at a country song that was now the only signal left. The silence was calming and peaceful.

Lana looked out in the open and sighed. “Who were you before all this?” she said.

It was barely a whisper and Vy was not sure if Lana meant to say it out loud. She answered staring out into the road.

“I was asleep, my whole life I think I was just asleep. When I look back on it, it feels surreal almost. Like it wasn’t me at all. I let so many things happen, there was so much I could have done, but I never did. Its like I just let myself drown over and over again because I didn’t think there was anything else to do.”

“And now?”

Vy thought for a moment. “Now all I do is look forward to the future, no matter how dark it gets. My life has never been more dangerous, it feels like I could die any moment, but somehow I’m hopeful about everything now more than ever. I finally see that it’s not about how shitty things are, because things are always shitty and always will be. But if you force yourself to see everything else too, then it’s not as bad.”

They sat in silence for the remainder of the ride while Vy rested in the thought of her epiphany. It elated her for a moment and she felt truly in tune with herself. It had been a very long time since she had felt that, if ever.

“I think we’re here,” Vy said. They pulled into a bumpy dirt road.

There was a barricade of cars at the road and she stopped in front of it. The headlights shone ahead and they saw a small warehouse in the distance. She thought about leaving Lana in the car but felt as though they should stay together. They walked up to the warehouse and she saw multiple figures surround them in seconds. The sounds of guns clicking was alarming but both her and Lana held up their hands and explained who they were.

One man came out of the barrels of guns pointed at them. Vy recognized his cold demeanour.

“Well, we did not expect you to arrive here, is Wonho with you?” Mr. Kim said with a smile.


	37. Chapter 37

Mr. Kim's voice reached out to her with a cold creep. She stared into his dark beady eyes looking for the mysterious undertone that came with everything he said but could only see static.

“We…something happened, Wonho is missing,” she said as she looked away. “Where are the others?”

“Oh of course, let me take you to them. That’s terrible news, he’s missing?”

Vy heard his sincerity, though there was something behind it and yet again all she could sense was static. He was a cunning man. Her and Lana were led to the warehouse. It looked a lot smaller from the outside but when the rusted doors opened she saw a very large area sectioned off into different spaces.

There were cubicles set up in one corner, a gym with large mats in the other. Big tables were setup around the perimeter. On the south end there were a few cars parked.

She walked over to a table and spotted Changkyun. He saw her and immediately got up with a smile. Before she could give him a hug, hands wrapped around her waist and a tall body squished hers.

“Jagiya! You’re back I missed you!”

She smiled as she pried his hands off of her. “Hyungwon I missed you too.”

When she turned around to see him she noticed bags under his eyes. Though he was happy to see her, there was something beyond his look she could not reach.

“How is everything here?” Vy said.

“Fine as it can be up in the middle of nowhere,” Changkyun said.

She said “Where’s Ki-”

“Ah you dragged bunny all the way here?” A tuft of pink hair came down the stairs along the wall beside them.

He wore all black and his hair was pushed back. Vy felt Lana shuffle closer to her. Kihyun came and gave Vy a hug. When he released her he just looked at Lana with a strange look and shook his head smiling.

“Where’s Wonho?” Kihyun said.

Vy and Lana looked at each other. Vy took a seat and began to recant the events that led her to them. From when they left to when she saw Mr. Kim. She carefully left out the details of their ongoing investigation into the Park conspiracy since Mr. Kim was avidly listening. That would be the part of the story told in private. If they could even get some privacy.

“Eric? Are you fucking serious!” Hyungwon said.

Changkyun looked pale. “No! Our whole place is gone?”

“And we don’t know where Wonho is or even if he made it out of the rubble?” Kihyun said. His voice was solemn and low. He lifted his head and said, “where is Shownu?”

Vy sighed and blocked out her emotions. She needed to be there for them now. It was not the time to lose her footing.

“Shownu said he had to leave to do something but we haven’t really heard from him since he left other than him calling in to say he’s been delayed,” she said.

They all sat in silence for a while letting the absurdity sink in.

Mr. Kim then left for a few minutes and walked back to them all with a strange look on his face. As if he might unveil a large cake with Wonho and Shownu hiding inside of it. His face held a secret within a secret and his expression showed that he was about to reveal one.

“I have something to tell you all. Now that you’re here,” he said, leaning forward on the table. 

Vy felt her phone vibrate in her pocket quietly, someone was calling her. Mr. Kim was directly looking at her, however, and she did not want to show him any more than was necessary. She walked over to the table and sat down resting her head on her hand.

“I’ve gotten some disturbing news as of late,” he paused and crossed his arms. “Wonho is a traitor.”

The uproar was thunderous though no one said a word. Kihyun clenched his fists but nothing more. Hyungwon was about to walk over to Mr. Kim aggressively but Changkyun stopped him.

Vy barely had time to think as her phone kept buzzing. She discreetly checked the screen and was shocked to see it was Shownu. She hit ignore and put the phone in her pocket.

She looked up to see Mr. Kim looking at her. Her expression was blank and she tried her best not to look guilty. She was not guilty of anything though her instincts violently shook her away from trusting Mr. Kim.

He continued, “I know this is hard to hear. It was hard for me. Especially after the news about Minhyuk-”

“Wonho would never betray us! Mr. Park is his father, he would never hurt him!” Hyungwon said.

“We also thought Minhyuk would never cross us either…” Changkyun said, barely a whisper.

Hyungwon silenced him with a strong glare.

Mr. Kim uncrossed his arms and clasped them in front of his body. “This is something we all must listen to with heavy hearts. Wonho was Mr. Park’s treasured child, and for him to hear this news…Well it will bear an awful toll. Wonho was in fact working with the Hanamuri conspiring against the Park family.”

“Where’s the proof?” Vy said.

“We caught members of the Hanamuri during a run they were on, they were transporting bombs across the city. After…careful conversation, they gave up names. He must have used the Chain crew as a distraction to make his escape. He’s now our number one suspect for this investigation.”

The silence that followed was heavy. Hyungwon stormed off. Kihyun and Changkyun sat there with worried looks on their faces. Lana shifted uncomfortably in her seat beside Vy as she grabbed Vy’s hand and squeezed it. Vy looked at Lana and then turned to glare at Mr. Kim who started talking again.

“I know you all will need some time to take this in. I have another group searching for him as we speak. I’ll let you know once we find him. Try to get some rest, we’re heading out tomorrow morning.”

He turned to Vy and nodded. She made a small effort to look more distressed than she felt. She felt distressed, however, they were not for the reasons Mr. Kim wanted. When he left with his team she looked over at Kihyun. There were few times she was good at wordless communication, but in that moment she was sure the same word passed between them. _Bullshit._

Vy was about to say something when Kihyun put his finger to his lips. He gestured to his ear next and mouthed ‘they are listening’. Vy was not surprised at this. No wonder the boys looked so off when she saw them.

Kihyun, Changkyun, Lana and Vy went outside to find Hyungwon. He stood several feet away from the warehouse on a thin beaten path. The pebbles crunched below their shoes as they approached. He was on his phone, repeatedly trying to call Wonho. He cursed aloud after there was no answer.

“Where the fuck is he!” Hyungwon said.

“I need to tell you guys the whole story,” Vy said.

She then went through her story again but now with all the details of their investigation.

“So who made up the story blaming Wonho?” Changkyun said.

Vy was about to speak when her phone started buzzing again. She excused herself and walked off the path they stood on. The grass was tall where she stopped, it was up to her shins. The clearing ahead of her ended in a line of trees looking into a thin forest. Through the gaps in the trees she saw a dark void and eerie spots of moonlight.

She looked at her phone and hit the answer button. “Shownu? What’s going-”

“Vy! You need to come here, now! There’s no time to explain. Please, you cannot tell anybody about this, not the guys not anyone. I need you to go to the town of Veran.” Shownu said. His voice was high pitched and panicked. She felt as though he was stifling a whimper.

“What’s wrong?”

“I can’t explain now, I-I need you please, come quick. I’ll text you the address. You have to come alone.”

“But-“

Then the phone call ended. Her statement was met with dead silence on the other end. She stood there looking at her phone, baffled. She looked up to see that the tree line got closer to her. Unconsciously she walked over to it. It looked more vast and frightening.

Her phone buzzed and just as was promised there was a text message with an address on it. She thought carefully about what Shownu said to her. He had been gone for weeks and now he expected her to drop everything? For all she knew he was setting up a trap. Then her heart sank thinking of him as guilty when she never second guessed Wonho. She sighed and closed her fist around the phone.

She walked to the group and stopped in front of Kihyun. He looked serious and tired.

“Kihyun, can you take care of Lana? I need to go somewhere, I can’t say where, you just need to trust me.”

Lana said, “Where are you going? Can’t I come with you?”

Kihyun grabbed her arm. “Come on bunny, I’ll take care of you.” He turned to Vy, “Kim’s not going to like this, you should leave now while he’s not watching.”

Vy nodded at Kihyun and smiled at him with thanks. She gave Lana a sympathetic look. Wide eyes looked back at her filled with concern. “Lana I’ll be fine, you stay with Kihyun and be careful. I’ll call you when I get back,” Vy said.

Hyungwon stepped in front of Vy as she turned to leave. “We just got reunited, you’re saying goodbye?”

Vy was about to brush off his humour when she saw the grave look in his face. She realized that he was still upset about everything. “Hyungwon, don’t worry. I’m going to believe that Wonho’s fine, he’s just being an inconsiderate ass as usual by not calling us.”

Hyungwon’s mouth twitched but he remained stoic as he moved aside. She gave him a reassuring pat on the arm and walked back to the car.

There were no other people around the area she parked. She climbed into the driver’s seat and started the car. As she pulled away she noticed a couple of people walk over to the parking area but by the time they went back into the warehouse to notify Mr. Kim, she had sped off.

Now alone she looked ahead at the pitch black road in front of her. The headlights lit up a small amount of asphalt in front. Her body felt immensely tired as she had already driven for several hours on no sleep. Every fibre of her muscles yearned for rest but she pushed through it. The image of the address was seared into her mind and all she could do for the next six hours was wonder what Shownu had waiting for her.

Was it a trap?

Was he hurt?

Where was Wonho?

There were too many questions swirling in her mind. She decided to put the radio on. That was when she noticed the car following her a fair distance away. There was only one road from the warehouse and she knew Mr. Kim would not want her leaving without permission. She sighed and shifted gears, it was time to speed.


	38. Chapter 38

The main train lines were off that day due to a large accident that occurred in the northwestern part of downtown. Every station he went to was delayed. He decided to walk to the belt line and see where he could go from there.

The streets were filled with people rushing by. He saw older men in pinstripe suits walk past him without a care in the world. A family of four was crossing the street with cameras hanging around their necks. A jogging man almost ran into him and it took Wonho all he had not to grab him by the throat.

Every high rise on that street had expensive apartments that started around five hundred thousand dollars. There was a for sale sign sticking out of the grass in front of a building. They needed a new place but he doubted they could afford it.

A few giggling girls walked by him in short shorts. They stared at him and whispered to one another, hiding their giddy smiles behind their hands.

After a long time of walking he reached a small restaurant of barbecued meats and walked inside. The familiar mint coloured walls comforted him. There was a young man at the main counter asking him where he wanted to sit but Wonho declined saying that he wanted to see the owner. He was sat at a booth and waited.

When the owner arrived he smiled at Wonho and ushered him to a booth.

“How are things with you Wonho?”

“They’re not great, I need some help.”

“Tell me what you need,” the owner said.

“I’ll need a cellphone and a car. Can you arrange that? And if you know anyone…under the table that could give me some guns that would be great.”

The owner sat back and thought about Wonho’s request. Wonho noticed the crease in his forehead after thinking about it.

“I know it’s a lot but I wouldn’t have come to you unless I was absolutely desperate,” Wonho said. “I’m in a bit of a…situation.“

The man nodded and told Wonho to wait for a while. He got the younger man to bring him food and drinks.

After a few minutes he came back to Wonho’s table. "Here’s the phone, this was an easy one, you’ll have to wait about an hour or two for the car and guns,” the owner said.

“Thank you, I really owe you for this,” Wonho said.

“Not at all, I hope it gets better. You are the Park legacy boy, I'll always be loyal to the Parks.” He then left to the back of the restaurant to arrange the rest of Wonho’s items.

Wonho sat back down and ate while setting up the phone. Park legacy, he almost snorted. Apparently he was in the middle of a conspiracy plot to overthrow the so called legacy. He sighed and thought about his father, the man that had given him everything but his time. Wonho tried to forget the absences of his childhood as he focused on the phone. 

He had lost all his contacts and had a pretty bad memory when it came to phone numbers. There was only one he knew as clear as day. He dialed it expecting nothing.

“Who the fuck is this?” Said a husky voice.

Wonho was surprised at the receiver’s laboured breathing. “Shownu is everything alright?”

************** ************** ************** ************** 

The car pulled into the lot of a house. She double checked the address on her phone and saw metallic letters beside the door. They were coloured grey and curved in sharp lettering.

The houses looked very suburban, each one was a copy of the next one like a row of marshmallows. Though there was some variation. Some had black roof tiles while others had grey ones.

She got out of the car slowly. Fatigue was pulling her in every direction. Good thing she downed an espresso shot before arriving. She hoped the caffeine would kick in and that this was not a trap. The way her body felt, she would fall into anything.

There were four cement steps to get to the front door. She suddenly felt like she was visiting a friend. The cookie cutter houses and green lawns gave her a sense of security. Never in her life had she lived in a neighbourhood like that before. It was always dingy apartments for her. The open air was almost dizzying.

She knocked on the door. One hand was on her gun that was tucked into the back of her pants. The door creaked open and she gripped her gun harder when she saw no one.

A high pitched grunt came from below her.

She looked down and saw a child look up at her with large round eyes.

“Jihun! I told you not to go to the door!” A woman came running towards her and grabbed the child, she glared at Vy. “Who are you?”

The last thing she expected was to see was a child, it took her a second to gather her words. “I-I’m Vy, Shownu called me and texted me this address. That’s all I know.”

“Vy! I heard of you, please come inside,” the woman said.Her attitude changed within a second. The animosity turned to friendliness. She grabbed Vy’s arm and dragged her inside. The woman closed the door and locked the deadbolt.

Vy glanced at the boy who started to slide down the carpeted stairs on his butt. He held a small plastic plane in his hand.

“I’m sorry, what’s happening right now?” Vy said. Her voice was spaced out and confused.

The woman smiled bashfully and took the child in her arms. Vy saw that she was beautiful, but it was masked by her distress. Her long brown hair flowed around her body. Though it was frizzy it still managed to look silky and she had dark golden skin that looked dull under the fluorescent lighting. The more Vy observed her, the more beautiful she got. Her eyes shifted to the child. The boy was cute, his eyes were dark brown. They had child like curiosity set in them. His hair was jet black and reminded her of someone. A sudden realization hit her like a train.

“Is that…Shownu’s?” Vy said pointing to the boy.

The woman shifted him in her arms as he was now barely able to keep his eyes open. He wrapped his arms around her neck and rested his head on her shoulder while she rocked him to sleep.

“Yes, this is our little Jihun, and I’m his mother,” she leaned over and held out her hand to Vy. “My name is Miranda, I’m Shownu’s wife.”

Vy made an effort to keep her jaw from dropping while shaking Miranda’s hand. After a small awkward pause Vy started talking.

“Do you know why Shownu sent me here?”

Miranda checked on Jihun and took him to the living room. There was a small cot set up in the middle with raised edges. She set him down and went to the kitchen.

“He’s worried about us, he’s always been that way,” she said while taking out tea cups from the cupboard. “But this time I’m worried for him, I haven’t heard from him all day. And he’s never like that.” She crossed her arms and leaned on the side of the table. “We’ve been really careful, off the grid, but recently…someone’s found out about us and Shownu thinks we’re in danger.”

She handed a tea cup to Vy and some cookies. Vy smiled at her and appreciatively took the food. She thought about what Miranda said. Shownu had a secret family, what other crazy information was hiding in plain sight she wondered. She then pulled out her phone and called Shownu. Miranda went back to Jihun and checked on him.

It rang for a while and Vy thought he might not answer but his gruff voice eventually came through.

“Shownu? I’m with your…family, what’s going on?”

She heard a small sigh of relief over the phone. “Thank god. Please take them out of there, tell her the house isn’t safe anymore. Get those two out of the house and take them to the Starside Inn. I’ll meet you guys there. Make sure you aren’t being followed.”

Vy turned the phone away for a second and lowered her voice so Miranda would not hear. “Are you okay?”

A chuckle erupted from the other end. It was laboured. “Nothing a couple of stitches won’t fix. Remember, Starside Inn, and Vy,” he paused to cough. “Please be careful, I’m trusting you with my life.”

“I understand, I’ll protect them with mine,” she said.

There was a click and the line was cut off. Miranda looked up with her with anticipation.

“We need to get out of here now. Pack light and quick,” Vy said.

Miranda bit her lip and her eyes widened in alarm. “Can you watch Jihun please, just sit here with him and I’ll be back.”

Vy nodded and went to go sit by the cot. Miranda hurried up the stairs while Vy turned to observe the child. His eyes moved frantically though they were closed.

His tiny fists balled up and released. She wondered if he was having a nightmare. Her hand moved towards him and she placed her finger by his fist when he opened it up. A small hand squeezed her finger and she could not help but smile. She caressed his forehead gently with her other hand.

Her ears perked up when she heard the sound of a car close by. She walked over to the window and peaked through the curtain. A dark blue car stopped in front of their house. Vy called Miranda as quietly as she could.

“Miranda! They’re here! We need to leave now, out the back.”

Miranda raced down the stairs with a medium sized duffle bag. She now wore a tracksuit and running shoes. Her face was panicked and she ran to Jihun. As softly as possible she swept him into her arms and looked at Vy.

Vy took the dufflebag from her and they went out the back door as soon as the doorbell rang. They exited the backyard and stayed low by the fence.

“We need to get back to the car,” Vy said.

Miranda nodded. Jihun was held close to her chest. Vy felt anxious at how the situation might unfold. She focused her energy and her top priority was getting them out safe and sound.

They heard things being toppled over and thrown around inside. Something crashed and shattered. Vy and Miranda glanced at each other. Vy went around the side of the house and peeked at the driveway.

There were only two of them, one was inside and the other was patrolling outside. She held out her gun and aimed it at their leg.

“Be ready to get in the car, passengers side. The keys are in my back pocket, take them and run when I give the signal,” Vy said.

She felt Miranda’s hand in her pocket reach for the keys. She waited a couple more seconds and when Miranda said she was ready, Vy fired the shot.

It was loud and she knew they only had a few seconds before the person inside would reach them. The man she shot yelled in pain and fell to the ground. She got another shot in his shoulder and ran to the car. Miranda was there and she opened the door for Vy. Vy hopped inside and shut the door. The keys were in the ignition and she shifted gears to backup.

As they backed up the car the other person came out of the house with a gun in their hands. They started shooting.

“Get down!” Vy said.

She got out of the driveway and started to go down the road. Seconds later she heard tires screech behind her. It was the blue car.

“Put your seat belts on,” Vy said.

She accelerated and turned onto another road. It weaved through the neighbourhood in a sporadic pattern. Every house looked the same so she hoped the other car might lose track if she was quick enough.

She made two lefts and a right. The roads were so similar even she did not know where they were. She wanted to get onto a main road and speed out of there.

That was when it struck them. They were rear ended violently. Miranda gasped and held onto Jihun who started crying right away. His screams filled the air and he trembled in Miranda’s arms.

“Fuck!” Vy said

Her neck jerked backward as she accelerated. The blue car was on her. She looked over at Miranda and Jihun nervously. She prayed the boy would be okay. If they crashed then those two would surely die or be seriously injured.

Vy shook it off and continued to drive. She barely noticed it but there was another car that started to follow them. It was a white four door with tinted windows. She saw it from the corner of her eye and could not see the driver. She hoped it was not another one of them. She was barely able to deal with one car.

“Miranda brace yourself,” Vy said.

She swerved left and rushed onto a gravel road that was behind a line of houses. She then accelerated and went back around. There was a sign she recognized, the main road was close.

When they approached the intersection Vy had to yield for a child crossing the road. She tapped her hands on the steering wheel knowing that they would catch up at any point. The child crossed and she was about to press on the gas when she turned her head and saw the blue car was about to crash into them. It was too late to move. It was coming too fast. The car would T bar them and they would die. She stared at her approaching death and shut her eyes when she heard a loud crash.

Seconds passed. She was still there. She opened her eyes and saw that just before the blue car crashed into them, the white car from before had rammed into it head on. She checked on Miranda and Jihun before getting out of the car. Vy assumed that the blue car’s driver was surely dead. The left side of the vehicle was completely crumpled. She wanted to see who was in the white car.

She took out her gun and started walking. She stopped when the door on the driver’s side of the white car opened. A leg came out and she raised her weapon. Laughter erupted from the car. She paused.

“Holy fucking shit! I feel like garbage wow.”

Her eyes blurred when she saw him get out of the car. His blonde blue hair was covered in old blood and grime. The same smirk stuck to his face as he looked at her.

“You owe me your life you know, twice over now,” he said.

She was overwhelmed and the entire world fell away. He was alive and standing in front of her. All she could do was run. She ran towards him and embraced him tightly. His body stiffened for a moment at the impact but he slowly wrapped his arms around her. She put her hands around his back and cried into his chest. He leaned his head down and rested his cheek on her head. She felt a hand rub the back of her neck.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t contact you,” Wonho said. His voice was low and soft.

“I don’t care, you’re here now, that’s all that matters.” She closed her eyes and took in his presence with everything she had.


	39. Chapter 39

A large sign in big letters read “Starside Inn”. It was mounted on a large neon lit star and hung from a pole beside the main office. The motel was U shaped and had three levels. They climbed up the thin steps to the top. 

They got two adjoined rooms and unlocked the door between them. Vy led Miranda and Jihun to their bed and brought in their bag. Jihun had calmed down since the accident and looked sleepy again. His eyes drooped slowly whenever Miranda stopped moving. She sat Jihun down on the bed and turned to Vy.

“Vy, thank you. You saved our lives,” she said. She gave Vy a hug and held her for a moment.

Vy hugged her back bashfully.

Miranda then looked at Wonho with a smile. “Wonho, still as reckless as always huh?”

Wonho chuckled. “I’ll never change my ways Miranda. Ji got so big!" 

Wonho walked over to Jihun and picked him up. The boy giggled sleepily and reached his arms up in the air as Wonho held him high. He spun Jihun around and swooped him up and down. Jihun laughed at every turn.

It was yet another side of Wonho that shocked her. She smiled as she watched him playing with Jihun. One moment she thought he was gone forever and the next he was as happy as a kite standing in front of her.

"Okay okay that’s enough, you’re gonna make him puke. He needs some rest, today has been exciting enough eh Jihun?” Miranda said.

Wonho handed him over to her and ruffled his hair. Miranda took Jihun to the bathroom to get him washed up.

Vy sat on the bed in the other room and took off her shoes. Her feet had gotten sore since the beginning of her monstrously long day.

“You knew about Shownu’s family?” Vy said as Wonho walked in.

He sat in the bed across from hers. “Yeah I did, I met Miranda years ago. I told Shownu not to do it, starting a family isn’t the best plan for people like us. But here we are, and I just love that kid.”

Vy smiled. “He is pretty cute,” she paused and thought for a moment, “So Shownu hid them for this long?” 

"Yeah, it wasn’t the greatest solution, but it was one they accepted. He knew the secret wouldn’t last, and today looks like that day,” he said.

A knock sounded on the door and they both stiffened. Wonho got up to look through the eye hole and laughed as he unlocked the deadbolt.

“You fucker! You missed all the action,” Wonho said.

“Not all of it,” Shownu said as he lifted his shirt. A jagged cut ran along his side that was stitched together rather roughly.

“Shownu you should disinfect that…” Vy said.

He nodded and Vy saw him walk into their room looking like a complete mess. His hair was dirty and oily, his temple had crusted dry blood on it, and his clothes were covered in mud.

“Going to be honest Shownu, you look like shit,” Vy said.

Shownu smiled and Wonho burst out laughing.

He removed his shoes and looked around, “where are Miranda and Jihun?”

Vy told him they were in the other bathroom as he walked into theirs. She smiled thinking that even though her day had started off incredibly poorly, it was ending on a better note. 

Vy was starting to feel all her adrenaline wear out. She wanted to shower too as her skin felt covered in some invisible film. Her hair felt greasy as she ran her hands through it, there was no way she could pass out yet.

Shownu came out a couple seconds before Miranda took out Jihun. Vy saw them both walk by the common door between the rooms and see each other. Shownu tossed his towel on a desk by the wall and walked over to her.

Though they were both clothed and only embraced, Vy sensed a deep intimacy in their gazes that made her blush and look away. He held her tightly with Jihun in between them. Vy glanced at them again and might have teared up had she not been so tired.

“I think it’s time we put him to bed,” Shownu said. He took Jihun with ease and held him comfortably with one hand. Jihun nestled in his chest with a sleepy smile.

Miranda said goodnight and went back into their room. Shownu turned back and thanked them once again for bringing his family back safely. He gave a sleepy smile adorably similar to Jihun and they closed the door that joined their rooms.

Vy sighed loudly. 

“Tired already?”

She jumped a little, forgetting Wonho was still in the room. “It’s been a long day, I have to fill you in, but I can’t right now…”

He smiled at her dismissive attitude. She got up and went to the bathroom with a towel. The door shut and Wonho sighed loudly.

He thought about the way she looked when they saw each other again. Her expression was something that shook him to the core. He felt her emotions through the air between them. When her body touched his…He looked over at the lamp to stop his thoughts before they overwhelmed him. Yet he found himself replaying the moment in his head over and over again. He was stuck in a loop.

The door opened and Vy came out in a towel. “Shower’s free,” she said with a yawn.

Wonho looked her up and down. Her legs glistened with water droplets hanging from them. Her hair was wet as steam blew into the room from the washroom. All he wanted to do in that moment was tear that towel off her body and…

He got up and half ran to the bathroom shutting the door. Inside, he panted and wiped his face with his hands. He took off his clothes and stood on the tiled floor looking himself in the mirror. The mirror was hazy from the hot water but he wiped it and saw his pale face. His body was covered in dirt and blood. He also needed a haircut. It was starting to come over the ears and he hated when it was this long.

He stepped into the shower and enjoyed the feeling of water running down his body. It was hot and destroyed the odour he carried with him. He grabbed a washcloth and found himself cleaning for a while. He usually never took this long. Though every time he thought of Vy, a part of him wanted to make sure he was presentable.

He thought about her hair and how it might smell when wet. Then he thought about how it might feel with his hands running through it. The towel. It was so loose, hanging off her body. He unconsciously licked his lips. His body hardened without him realizing as he continued to think of her.

When he saw what his thoughts did he hesitated a moment, with a deep sigh and the echo of water gushing around him he decided to take care of himself. He was so tired, he needed this. 

He wrapped his hand around his erection and thought about Vy, he thought about ripping her towel off and exposing her wet naked body. He pumped his hand along his shaft, slowly at first but as soon as he thought about entering her his hand squeezed and moved swiftly with each stroke. He had his other hand on the wall in front of him to balance himself. The hot water hit his face and dripped down his chest to his abs as he jerked himself off to the thought of Vy. A part of him was disgusted at himself, doing this while she was in the next room, but a tucked away part of him was completely aroused by the idea. In his mind he spread her legs open and squeezed her nipples, she screams and Wonho let out a quiet moan as his body convulsed violently from the eruption. He stood there for a couple minutes, enjoying the aftershocks and then washed away his cum and cleaned up a second time.

When he stepped out of the bathroom he just wore his boxer briefs and wiped his head with a towel. Vy had gotten into her bed and turned to look at him. He saw her face flush red when she saw him and look away.

He smirked. “What’s wrong?" 

She gripped the sheets around her. "Nothing, I’m just tired.” She then resolved her expression and turned to face him with only a small amount of strain. “I need to tell you what’s going on though, just the gist of it for now." 

Wonho nodded and crawled into his bed. He turned to face her as he pulled the sheets up over his bare skin.

"After the building fell, we looked for you for a while and couldn’t find anything. Then we went back to the construction site from before to warn the others. That was basically an ambush and there was an accident there. An absolute shit show, and…” she paused and he noticed that her face lifted into a soft rage. “Soo was there." 

Wonho clenched his fists and thought of her role in all this. She was constantly after the top of the heap, stepping on everyone in her path.

"But we had to get away quickly. Then Jooheon and I split up. I went to find Kihyun and the other guys up north. When I saw them, Mr. Kim was there.”

Wonho’s body shot upwards into a sitting position at her words. “What?” 

She widened her eyes and continued, "he said that you were a traitor and they’re now looking for you. He said you’re behind the whole conspiracy against your dad. The guys are playing along but nobody believes it.”

“Fucking Kim…that bastard…” Wonho grit his teeth.

Vy got up sleepily and sat beside him. She slapped her arm across his back and held him at the side. Her head flopped on his shoulder.

“We would never believe him, not in a million years,” she said.

Wonho turned his head and could smell the flowery scent of her hair. He took one of her hands and laced his fingers through hers. Both of their hands were rough and calloused.

“Vy…I can’t begin to tell you how grateful I am to have met you. I…” He lifted her hand and kissed it long and softly as he turned to look at her reaction. 

She remained on his shoulder, unmoving.

“Vy?” He said. There was no answer.

It was then that he heard the faintest snoring sound. Like ripples over water. He laughed silently and cupped her head as he laid her down on his bed. He lifted her legs and placed them carefully on the sheets. Her eyelids fluttered only a little when he moved her. Otherwise she was falling in a deeper sleep. He took the blanket and put it over her body.

She had bags under her eyes along with cuts and scrapes but somehow watching her fall into the vulnerable state of sleep moved him deeply. He watched her for a few minutes before moving a strand of hair from her cheek. His hand stayed there for a moment. He leaned down and kissed her forehead. He then kissed her cheek. He found himself unable to leave the proximity of her face. With a tug of regret he pulled away.

As he went to the other bed he turned off the light. The darkness was comforting though he felt anxiety crawl under his skin. As much as Vy’s precious face was seared into his heart, his mind could not help but shift to the mess that was their whole situation.

He closed his eyes and hoped he could think of a plan soon.


	40. Chapter 40

“That bitch!” She slammed her hand on the table and crossed her arms. When she realized there was a baby sitting beside her she blushed and apologized.

Wonho wailed with laughter. “I seem to be rubbing off on you.”

Shownu smiled and assuaged Vy’s embarrassment. After she relaxed he became serious again. “She was the only other person at the time that knew about Miranda and Jihun. We knew that she would use the information against us eventually but-”

“But maybe we thought she wouldn’t,” Miranda said with a glare on her face. There was a look of pain mixed into it as well. “Soo was my friend. The four of us hung out a lot back then…“ she looked out past the window. Vy saw her fists clench. "Now she threatened the life of my child, that bitch is dead.”

Wonho laughed then a crease of worry appeared on his forehead. He turned to Vy, “so where’s Jooheon exactly?”

“He’s looking for Mr. Park, to warn him. We split up after the construction incident, and then I left Lana with the others when I met up with them in the north. I haven’t heard from him though…” Vy said. She grabbed her phone and went to her contacts to call Jooheon. They waited for her to get him on the line but there was no answer. She looked at Wonho with wide eyes, “we need to find Mr. Park.“

Wonho laughed humorlessly. "They won’t let me get within a hundred feet, and since you left the grounds with no explanation to Mr. Kim, they’ll be gunning for you too I'm sure.”

They fell silent and listened to the wind grind against the walls. The old motel creaked loudly around them and felt as though it might fall apart.

Then Shownu spoke, “We lost them at the construction site and you said that a few people died right? But it’s not enough to really start an investigation into the Park business, it’s too small, could be played off on a technicality. I think this hit was just a test, they’re planning something big. Something that you can’t look away from. You said that Jooheon was looking into a few of his construction projects?”

Vy and Wonho shared a look. Shownu was correct, there were at least three projects that they had discussed as potential targets.

“Maybe if we figure out what they’ll hit next, we can stop them before anything happens. Even catch them. If the Park’s see what Kim is doing, they’ll kill him.”

Wonho leaned back in his chair and sighed. “How the fuck am I going to call dad…I know he won’t believe Kim over me, but I’m worried the matter might be taken even out of his hands.”

Vy continued to try Jooheon and received no answer. “I’m a little worried about him, its been too long, I think we should have heard from him by now.”

Shownu stood up and clapped his hands together. “First, let’s get the others back, I’m going to call Kihyun and get them to meet us back in the city.”

“You want to go back there? Hanamuri are crawling all over the place, they’ll see us from a mile away. Where could we go?” Wonho said.

“We’re going home,” Shownu said.

***************** ***************** ***************** ***************** 

“I don’t understand what’s taking so long, I know Mr. Park, and I seriously need to talk to him!”

“Listen asshole, either stay here until further notice, or get the hell out. Mr. Park is a very busy man.“

A large man in a black suit stood in front of him with tree sized arms. They were crossed in an intimidating fashion. Jooheon paced in the room they were in. It was like a waiting room at a clinic except smaller and with no chairs. He stared at the bouncer reject in front of him and rolled his eyes. His senses went wild with impatience. His muscles practically jumped out of his skin.

“This is about his son! Wonho! I need to see Mr. Park!” Jooheon waved his arms in the air as he spoke. He was getting angrily delirious.

The man walked in front of him about to grab his shirt when someone opened the door and walked in. The girl had one long cross earring and a buret on. She wore a short black skirt and a maroon striped turtleneck. Jooheon noticed the shape of her legs against the light and how the black heels accentuated her toned muscles. He looked her up and down and suddenly stopped pacing.

She walked right up to him and put her hands on his shoulders. There was gum in her mouth which she chewed loudly. "Listen, I know this is tough but security has been tight since a construction incident that occurred on our grounds. We gotta be as careful as we can,” she shifted closer to him as she spoke. “But if you come with me I can get you a better way in,” she whispered the last bit into his ear.

He could feel her large breasts press against his chest and he immediately lost his train of thought. He shook it off when she walked back and looked between her and the reject bouncer. Though something at the back of his head started setting off alarms, he allowed the woman to lead him out of the room.

They went outside the building and onto the street. Her hips swayed side to side and Jooheon tried to stop himself from drooling. He could not recall what kind of staff Mr. Park had around him though it certainly felt like upgrades had been made.

She led him down one street and away from where they came. He began to wonder where they were going. “From what I remember, Mr. Park was supposed to meet me in that building.”

The girl turned around and smiled at him while chewing her gum. “They told you that?” She winked and turned around.

They walked a few more blocks before Jooheon stopped her. He still felt his heart stir at the sight of her though the magical fairy dust effect had worn off. “Where the hell are we going?”

She pushed him up against a brick wall and Jooheon was taken aback by her surprising strength. He looked around and realized they were beside a green dumpster and stuck in an alley between two bad parking jobs.

“What the fuck?“ He said.

She pressed her body against his and stared him in the eye. Jooheon felt anxious at her change of action but something in her eyes held him in the moment. That was when another voice spoke from the end of the alley, on the darker side.

"Back off Dara, we’re just supposed to pick him up,” the voice said. A figure walked out of the shadows in a long red trench coat.

Jooheon recognized him immediately and realized how far off he had gone. “Minhyuk?”


	41. Chapter 41

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Moodboard at the end :)

The drive back was longer due to the amount of stops that needed to be made for Jihun. He was a good boy that sat back and stared at the clouds for the most part. Though all children were children at the end, no matter what the situation.

Vy sat in the back seat with Miranda and entertained Jihun as much as she could. His innocent face looked up at her with half moon lids. All she could do was smile and stroke his head. She took to giving him all her attention to move away from her worrisome thoughts.

He laughed like bells when she played peek a boo with him and Vy wondered about the beauty of the world. His small face was so kind and caring, all she felt in her heart was a sense of joy and purity. The shit hole that had been her life for a long time longed for such a peaceful emotion.

“You’re really lucky Miranda, he’s a wonderful boy,” Vy said.

Miranda squeezed Vy’s hand and smiled. “I know.”

After a few more hours they arrived at the location. The car shook from the rubble it had to drive over. Shownu went down a hill to park the car away from plain site. The car swerved dangerously at one point and they all jerked about.

“Mind the ride everyone!” Shownu said with a laugh.

Vy grew concerned at his enthusiastic method of dangerous driving though Miranda laughed along with him. They stopped in front of a wall. Brick was chipped off the edges and it stood tall and broken.

“So this is what it looks like now,” Shownu said. He sighed heavily and turned off the engine.

Vy had not been back since they searched for Wonho. She felt rubble crunch against her shoes when she stepped out. They walked around the wall into the place that was once their home. A broken black telephone lay in pieces a couple steps away from her. She realized they were standing in what used to be the kitchen.

“Are you sure it was a good idea to come here?” She said.

“I know it’s lame to say this is where they’ll least expect us, but it’s true,” Wonho said. “They wouldn’t come back here, there’s nothing left.”

“Just be careful, we don’t know how stable everything is,” Miranda said. She took out Jihun and carried him in a portable car-seat with ease.

They walked around the site and looked around. There were so many things she had not noticed before. Vy realized that when she was searching for Wonho she had missed looking at so many details. There were clothes, knives, pieces of furniture that had fallen in with the collapse. She even picked up one of her rings that shone atop of a pile of cement. After dusting it off, she put it on her her ring finger.

Around the east side of the destruction, near the middle, there was one room that remained intact. Surprisingly it was holding together. There were no beams above it that might cause it to crash and it still had its ceiling. Only one wall was missing but it provided enough coverage that they decided to settle down there. It was one of their old meeting rooms, the glass sliding doors had shattered but the chairs and tables remained intact.

“Lucky for once!” Wonho said with a smile.

Vy smiled at his attitude. “You know what’s the funniest part of all this Wonho? You were mopey and broody as shit when I first met you, and now everything is fucked but you’re all smiles.”

Shownu laughed. “It’s not the situation Vy, it’s the person-“

“Shut up Shownu,” Wonho said abruptly. When they all looked up to stare at him he mumbled something about calling Kihyun and walked away.

“What did I say?” Vy said.

Miranda and Shownu shared a look and smiled at her together. It was eerily in sync and gave Vy chills. She was about to ask again when arms wrapped around her from behind. She was taken by surprise and was ready to hand out a punch.

“I missed you!” It was Lana.

Vy turned around and hugged her tightly. “How have you been?” She looked past her and saw the rest of them flood into the room.

Kihyun had dark circles under his eyes and it looked as though they had stayed up for days. Vy only just noticed that Lana had tears streaming down her face.

“What happened?” Vy said.

“Hyungwon was shot,” Kihyun said.

Right before Vy was about to panic, Changkyun and Wonho walked in carrying Hyungwon. He looked like death was over his shoulder but Vy breathed a sigh of relief to see him breathing. Though his head rolled dangerously around.

“What happened?” Miranda said.

They placed him on the table gently and Kihyun took off Hyungwon’s jacket and shirt. “He was shot, we were trying to get away and they were on our trail for hours. Just when we thought we lost them, they fucking found us.” Kihyun concentrated on putting pressure on Hyungwon’s torso.

“We have a med kit in the trunk!” Miranda said as she ran out of the room.

Vy leaned close to Hyungwon’s face and moved his hair from his eyes. Kihyun told her to keep him awake. His eyes drooped more as each second passed. His cheekbones looked sunken and his entire face was gaunt.

“Hey, listen to me, wake up Hyungwon, don’t you wanna see your girl?” Vy said. She tried to keep the tears back.

He looked up miraculously for a few seconds and made direct eye contact with her. A lop sided grin appeared on his face as he whispered. “Jagiya…” He reached up to touch her face and she held his hand there. They shared a tender moment until his eyes rolled to the back of his head and he started shaking.

“Oh my god, oh my god, Hyungwon!” Vy felt his hand squeeze hers painfully.

“He’s going into shock! Someone hold him down!” Kihyun said.

Wonho held his shoulders down. Vy could barely breathe as she stared at his haggard expression clearly draining of its vitality.

“He needs blood! Fuck, fuck!” Kihyun looked like he was in pain, “the bullet must have hit an artery!”

“I have needles! There’s needles in this kit and tubes, my blood is O negative!” Miranda ran inside. She knelt down beside Hyungwon and opened the kit.

She sat calm and quiet as everyone around her flooded with nervous energy. Miranda took out the needles and tubes and calmly instructed Kihyun to help her. They positioned Hyungwon’s arm and sanitized the crook of his elbow. She tied an elastic around her arm tightly as Kihyun stuck the needles on each end of the flexible tube. She then grabbed one end, sanitized it, and stuck it in the vein of her arm.

Vy watched in amazement as Miranda worked with the needle in her arm. Blood began to flow through the tube and as it began dripping through the other side, she stuck the needle into Hyungwon’s arm. She instructed Wonho to elevate the tube in a way that it would flow faster. Then she checked Hyungwon’s eyes one at a time.

A few crucial seconds later, when Miranda checked his pulse, she sat back and wiped the sweat off her brow. “He’s stable, we need to dress the wound now.”

A collective sigh occurred in the room and Vy could not help but feel tears run down her face. “Holy shit Miranda.“

Miranda shook her head and smiled, “I used to be a nurse, it was my duty.”

Changkyun looked at the scene with wide eyes. “You’re amazing,” he said. Then he paused a moment as his eyes snapped to her face. “Wait, who are you?” He paused again and looked around the room as if he were in an alien world. “Why is there a baby here?”

Vy and Wonho made eye contact and could not help but burst into laughter. Their emotions were spilled all over the floor and they sounded hysterical. It must have been a sum of the sleep deprivation and trying incidents.

“Why don’t you dress his wound while we explain?” Miranda said to Kihyun. “Baby you tell them,” she said to Shownu with a sigh.

Changkyun, Kihyun, and Lana glanced between Shownu and Miranda with a confused look on their faces.

*************** *************** *************** *************** 

“So you’re telling me that Kim is doing all this and is going to attack again? And Soo and Minhyuk are all a part of this fucked up conspiracy?” Kihyun said.

“Pretty much, she was always a snake for power, wherever the rats go, she goes,” Wonho said.

“And we still haven’t heard from Jooheon?”

“No,” Vy said. She tried calling him while they were catching up but still there was no answer.

“Fuck this shit, this is next level…” Changkyun said.

Kihyun pulled out a laptop from his bag and set it on the ground. “We need some kind of lead on this, did you guys make copies of the files?”

Vy looked in her pockets desperately but groaned when she found nothing. She could not remember. It was then that Lana pulled out a USB drive from her pocket. “He told me to keep it safe,” she said with a wink.

“Ah you beauty! I could kiss you!” Kihyun said. There was an awkward pause after he realized what he said aloud and everyone looked away.

Lana blushed in the corner fiercely after giving him the USB and Vy was sure she might faint.

“So the housing project was already used, that leaves the hospital and the school,” Kihyun said. “Both of those are potential targets, how do we know which one?”

“We’ll need to split up,” Shownu said.

They all looked around gravely. There was a childish second where they all seemed to feel the same thing. Nobody wanted to leave the low state of rest they were in. Despite the fact they were in a demolished building and that Hyungwon was laying there unconscious in the corner. There was a moment where they all felt the comfort of being together again.

“He’s right,” Wonho said.

“Someone needs to stay with Hyungwon, he can’t be moved,” Miranda said. After a thought she said, “I’ll stay with him.”

Shownu looked at her with a pained expression. “We don’t know how long this place will be safe, scouters might come back, I can’t leave Jihun and you here like this.”

“You don’t have to,” Kihyun said. “We can hit both quickly enough. Between Vy, Wonho, Changkyun, and I, we can go to the hospital first and sweep it. If there’s nothing there we know it’s the school.“

“What about me?” Lana said. “I can help.”

Kihyun turned to her and embraced her fiercely. Vy’s jaw dropped. She heard Wonho smirk and whisper “atta boy.”

“I can’t afford to put you in danger, please just stay here and help them. I’ll be back for you,” Kihyun said as he held her face in his hands.

Lana stood there stock still and silent. She nodded and hugged him back. Vy’s eyes snapped to Wonho who was already staring at her. She felt heat rush to her cheeks as she looked away. Her stomach did a flip and she crossed her arms.

Changkyun brought his rifle from the car and told them they had some more in the trunk.

Vy pulled out her gun and counted the rounds left. “We better make them count.”


	42. Chapter 42

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Steam steam steaaaaaaaam.
> 
> Also steamy moodboard. YA'LL.

“We’ll meet at the backside of the hospital in one hour, there’s no cell reception here so take these walkie talkies,” Kihyun said. His voice was low as they were just outside the hospital perimeter. He handed Wonho and Vy one pair of walkie talkies and Changkyun another.

It was freezing and his breath came out in short vapour puffs in the dark. There was a chain link fence between them and the space. The fence gleamed with wetness from the previous rainfall. The night was quiet as the hour was pushing past midnight and there was seemingly no one there.

Changkyun cut through the fence and pushed it open. He held it out for everyone to get through and then went in himself. They crept through the dark pathways and unfinished parking lots. Mud was spread everywhere on slippery paths while half finished gardens looked both comforting and desolate.

They arrived at the building and it looked finished for the most part. The walls were done and the windows held glass panes that still had protective stickers on them. The sliding doors they approached were not in service and so Wonho had to pry it open with a crowbar.

“Thank god they didn’t put in an alarm system yet,” Changkyun said.

“Don’t jinx it,” Wonho said. As he spoke there was a low beep which cascaded into a siren.

“Fuck,” they all said.

“We need to find the control room, I can turn it off!” Changkyun said running towards the reception desk.

Vy noticed a door with no doorknob that just looked like part of the wall and yelled at Changkyun to see it. He swerved around and went to go pick the lock. Once inside he took out his tools and disarmed it. It was deathly silent once again.

“Okay, so I’m not sure who’s going to come here to check out the alarm, whether it’s the police, a building operator or what…” Changkyun said.

“We’re still sweeping, just be on your toes and try not to make any noise,” Kihyun said. “Vy and Wonho, you guys take the east wing and Changkyun and I will take the west. Meet back in an hour, anything happens, we’re on channel two.” With that he dragged Changkyun away to the double doors that led to the west wing.

Vy and Wonho stood there a moment alone. She tried not to look anxiously towards the front entrance but he noticed.

“Hey don’t worry, it’ll probably be an underpaid night security guy,” he said with a smile.

They headed into the east wing. It felt like something out of a horror movie. They held their guns out in front of them and walked through the empty hallways. Furniture was moved in and sheets of plastic hung from the ceiling down to the floor. Seen through them were blurry silhouettes of god knows what. Vy was not scared of monsters or supernatural creatures but she could not shake the chills that crept up her body.

Wonho’s flashlight that attached to his gun was their guiding light through the dark hallways. Vy looked into empty rooms to find hospital beds covered in plastic wrapping and empty shelving units bolted to the walls. Suddenly she wondered who would come here to be treated and who would come here to die.

“God this place is creepy,” she whispered.

“Agreed,” Wonho said.

Vy jumped as their walkie talkie crackled and Kihyun’s voice was heard through the air. “Guys, we’re in the basement and there is some fucked up shit going on,” he said.

Wonho pulled out the walkie talkie and clicked the button. “What did you guys find?”

“There’s a shit ton of bombs down here, Changkyun found the detonator and he’s just deactivating it right now.”

Wonho and Vy looked at each other with wide eyes. Clearly not even a seasoned professional like Wonho had dealt with such a situation. “There are fucking bombs in here? Let’s get the hell out!” Wonho said.

“He’s almost…There, it’s done, the bombs are deactivated. We should-” The radio crackled.

“Kihyun?”

The radio crackled again. “Guys, I think-coming-someone’s-get-”

The radio was silent. Vy and Wonho looked at one another and raised their weapons. Just as they did there were footsteps down the hall. They ran into an open room that looked like a cafeteria and hid behind the counter. They heard multiple footsteps approach and enter the room.

Vy glanced at the entrance to the cafeteria and noticed the men that walked in were all clad in black and held shiny automatics. Their uniforms held no insignia or signage. They wore bandanas over their faces and varied in style from person to person.

“Not police,” she mouthed to Wonho.

Wonho checked his gun and cocked it, holding a refill in his hand. Vy did the same and they looked at each other and nodded. Wonho raised his hand and counted to three.

On three they jumped up and started firing. Shots were fired from both sides viciously. Vy rolled on the ground to the other side of the room to gain more ground. There were over ten people shooting at them. Wonho shot a few times then ducked. He crawled to Vy and gave her a signal. They leapt up and went back to back as more people flooded in from the other side. Vy felt the support of Wonho’s body against hers and their muscles moved in sync. It brought her back to her training days and it was like second nature.

When the bullets ran out there were three people left. They pulled out their knives and rushed at Vy and Wonho from both sides. Vy hooked her arms around Wonho’s and used his strength to propel her legs up into a powerful kick. She flipped onto the other man in front of Wonho.

She punched him in the face and stepped on his shin so hard there was a snapping sound. He screamed and held out a knife while limping. He swung at Vy and she jumped away as soon as it might have cut through her stomach. The next time he swiped at her she twisted his arm and drove the knife through his chest.

When she turned around she saw Wonho standing over the two bodies that once lunged at him. They paused as they listened for others. There was nothing audible but the sound of their loud panting.

He gazed at her with hungry eyes. They breathed heavily and stared at one another with a heap of bodies around them. Vy was tired beyond her wits and all she felt was a fire building up in her body. It felt like electricity was flying through the room and into her from the ground up. She knew Wonho felt it too, it was in his eyes. It sizzled between them and she could feel the heat emanating from his body. All she wanted was-

They slammed into each other. Vy embraced him with all she had and he squeezed her body against his. There was no hesitation as he shoved his mouth on hers and she did the same. It was beyond something they hand wanted for a long time. It was a need, like they were coming up for air from drowning.

His hands grabbed her hair roughly and she moaned under the feel of his wet lips on hers. He held her head against his and moved his mouth aggressively over hers as their tongues danced desperately together. Vy felt his hands roam her body and grab her hips. She jumped onto him with her arms wrapped around his neck. He supported her thighs with his muscular arms. He pushed her up against a wall and held her there feeling every part he could get his hands on.

His hand ran over her chest and she moaned as he squeezed. She could feel the heat emanating from him and the ever growing desire. She lifted his shirt and began kissing his neck. He closed his eyes and lifted his head a little. His hips moved against hers as she licked his earlobe. He let out a sigh as she bit it gently.

Once again his mouth was on hers, full of desperation. She lifted her shirt up and off over her body. He carried her over to a table and laid her on top of it. She opened her legs and allowed him to come to her. His arms flexed around her head as he came down to lay on top of her and her legs wrapped around his hips. She felt his hardness against her body and bit her lip from the sheer pleasure. He licked her neck and kissed his way down to her chest. He pulled down her bra and ran his tongue along her breast. She moaned and felt the sensation between her legs. It was more than she could handle. Her whole body was on the verge.

She took a hand and ran it down his abs, down into his pants. He paused and shivered as she held him. In his most vulnerable state, she moved her hands up and down along it. He moaned in pleasure and clenched his fists. She slowly massaged him and felt his teeth bite her shoulder. Her hands wandered around his broad shoulders as they shared passionate wet kisses.

He took one second to back away and stare her in the eyes. She had ever felt more naked in her entire life. His eyes bore through her body and into her soul. She put a hand on his cheek and pulled him close. Their foreheads pressed together and she felt him in a way she never had before.

Wonho whispered, “Vy, I l-”

The radio crackled on and Kihyun’s voice yelled through the room, “guys! Where are you? We’re getting swamped here!”

They looked at one another and laughed awkwardly. Vy pulled down his shirt and he hopped off the table. She fixed her bra and shirt quickly before he looked back.

“Could there be worse timing?” He said with a nervous laugh.

Vy grabbed her gun and stuffed it in her belt. Then as he started walking off looking tense, she grabbed him by the waist and pulled him toward her. “It couldn’t be better,” she said. She gave him a deep kiss and ran out the doors but not before seeing Wonho’s face turn beet red.

As they got closer to the west wing they heard shots being fired. As Vy opened one of the doors she almost ran into Changkyun who was shooting at someone behind him.

“Watch out! Let’s get the fuck out of here!”

They ran down the halls and through several unoccupied rooms to reach the exit. Wonho tossed furniture behind them as much as possible to slow down their pursuers. They went through a critical section unit and he locked the doors behind them.

Once they were out in the open they were like fish in a barrel. There was no cover in sight. Changkyun sprinted to the car and started the engine. They heard bullet fire on the grass behind them literally at their heels. 

They jumped in the car as bullets hit their vehicle. As Changkyun started to drive off Vy called in the incident to the police. She ended the call when the operator asked too many questions. The further they got from the site the more their adrenaline began to wane.

“I can’t believe they were going to blow up a hospital, what the fuck?” Vy said.

As soon as they were about to agree with her, Vy’s phone rang. She casually answered the phone half expecting Shownu to be asking her what was going on when she heard a voice that would echo through her mind for years to come.

"Vy,” he said on the other end of the line.

She froze, holding the phone in an icy grip. Her heartbeat increased to a panicked state and she could barely breathe. “Why are you calling me?”

“We have Jooheon.”

Wonho looked confused at her frightened expression. “Who is it?”

Vy almost dropped the phone when she looked at Wonho. “It’s Minhyuk.”

Everyone in the car became silent when she said his name. Wonho’s expression became dark.

Vy felt a burst of energy when she realized what Minhyuk said. “What have you done with him? If you fucking hurt Jooheon I’ll-”

“He’s fine. Put me on speaker,” he said.

She hated the grating feeling on her chest. It vibrated through her body with a piercing kind of pain. All she wanted to do was throw her phone out the window and drive into oblivion. Instead she pressed the button that enabled speaker phone.

“We have Jooheon. He is fine and we have no intention to harm him. We’ll do an exchange, Wonho has to take the blame for the bombs and we’ll give you Jooheon unharmed.”

Kihyun was about to give Minhyuk a piece of his mind when Wonho answered, “Fine. Where is he?”

“Come to the school within the hour,” he said. With that the call ended.

They all looked at one another with a heavy silence in the air.

Kihyun shook his head. “You guys realize this is a huge trap right?”

Wonho pulled out his only gun and counted the bullets. “Let’s end this.”


	43. Chapter 43

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oiiii, we are here at the end....what a journey this story goes on. There's a couple moodboards throughout this one....
> 
> I think I may do an epilogue, I'll keep you all posted :) 
> 
> Thanks for taking the time and reading this everyone <3 
> 
> Let's all show Monsta X and Wonho some love!

_“Got to find the good in the bad, otherwise it’s all bad.”_

****************** ****************** ****************** ****************** 

The drive to the school was grim. They went through all the possible scenarios and while Vy tried to pay attention her mind kept wandering off to places she did not want to go. Hearing Minhyuk’s voice shook her to the core and made her realize how much everything had changed. Some moments she barely remembered who he was and other times he was vividly seared into her thoughts. She looked over at Wonho.

He was silent. He sat still looking out the window while loading and unloading his gun. It made repeated clicking noises as he removed the cartridge and put it back in.

“Wonho, you shouldn’t go. We should scout the area and bring back reinforcements with a plan,” Kihyun said.

Wonho shook his head. “We don’t have time, Jooheon is in danger and something tells me this is it. We might have stopped the hospital but what if they have something setup at the school too? Then what we did was for nothing.”

Kihyun remained silent. There was nothing more to say and nobody said another word. The rest of the drive was deathly quiet.

Vy felt a nervous pressure at the pit of her stomach. It squeezed her intestines and she tried not to show the uncomfortable feeling on her face. All her emotions both mental and physical seemed to drain into a void.

The roads were slick with water as rain started to fall. She looked out the window and watched blurry buildings go by. How she wished for Jooheon to pop out with his dimply smile waving through one of the windows. How she wished there was a roadblock on the way and they turned around and never returned.

Suddenly the streets looked much more familiar, they were driving through her old neighbourhood. The streets were much the same as they were every dismal night. The grey pavement was peppered in old gum, aged into a blackish colour over time. There in one of the alleyways was the old dumpster where many people had been found overdosing.

They passed her apartment building and she wondered if her father was sleeping there in another drunken stupor. A neon sign caught her eye, _pizzas after midnight._ Her chest felt tight again and she looked away.

She turned and caught Wonho’s eye and he saw right through her pained expression. He took her hand hesitantly and she squeezed it. He leaned over and kissed her head as she closed her eyes and felt the heaviness lessen.

They parked one street away from the school and got out. At the most each of them had one gun that had half its bullets left. Kihyun called Shownu, told him what they were doing, and immediately hung up. Vy heard Shownu’s voice get completely cut off.

“What was that about?” Vy said.

Kihyun looked back at the car as they walked away from it. “He would’ve raced over here to help us, I couldn’t tell him where we were, he has a family now. But I needed to tell him.“

Gravel crunched loudly underneath their shoes as they walked. They looked around the dark for signs of others but there was nothing. A desolate playground shone eerily in the subtle luminance of the streetlights. The colours paled in the darkness giving the whole place a melancholy feel. Their surroundings were as drained and tense as they felt. The wind picked up and the swings jingled as they walked past them.

They arrived at the front entrance to the school and cocked their guns. Kihyun signalled them to surround the door as Changkyun reached over to open it from the side. He swung it open and Wonho pointed his gun into the doorway. There was nobody there. They walked inside and the door shut ominously behind them.

Suddenly the lights came on and temporarily blinded them. They pointed their guns down and ducked in case of an attack. There was nothing. Vy adjusted to the brightness and saw an empty hallway. The brightly lit corridor was lined with painted cement floors and crisp white walls. Rows upon rows of doors probably led to classrooms and laboratories. It was a school she might have only dreamed of.

They went down the hall as if pulled on a string. As if they knew exactly where to go. Wonho led the way with Vy following closely behind him. Kihyun and Changkyun brought up the rear. After several minutes of walking through winding hallways they stopped at a set of doors.

The doors of the gymnasium were tall and wide. They were painted a dark military green with shiny silver push bars along the middle. The doors loomed over them as they approached and Vy wondered what they were walking into. She wondered if anyone would leave this place. With an unsettled heart she reached for the door. Changkyun stopped her.

“It might be a trap, stand back with the others, I’ll open it,” he said.

Vy protested but Wonho pulled her away and Changkyun pushed the doors open. The inside was dark and vast. A catwalk surrounded the walls of the gymnasium. The ceiling was incredibly high and the walkway led to what looked like a second level of the building. There were large wooden crates piled all around them. The crates towered over them in stacks and from them reeked an odour of styrofoam and rubber. Tufts of box filler lay all over the floor and hung from the edges of the crates. It was as if a maze were created out of the stacks and there could be enemies hiding in any corner. The place was hauntingly dark all except one area. There were lights in the ceiling that shone brightly over one particular place. They realized it was intended for them to go there.

They approached cautiously with their guns pointed. Each stack was a blind spot and so their advance was slow and careful. As they made their way around the crates Vy frantically looked around for Jooheon. It was when she saw a tuft of brown hair that her heart lurched. It was Jooheon. He was sitting in a chair with his hands tied behind his back. He was unconscious.

“Jooheon!” Vy almost ran to him when Wonho held up his arm to stop her.

She was about to protest when she followed Wonho’s gaze. There was Minhyuk. He stood there in a black sweatshirt and jeans as if it were a casual meeting between friends. He was leaning against a pile of crates and watched them closely. He looked at Kihyun and Changkyun then at Wonho. His gaze rested on Vy and she met his eyes. There was nothing that she recognized. She could barely feel the man she knew anymore. His eyes were hollow and dark. Though there was a hint of intense exhaustion.

It was not him that made her blood boil. There beside him in an arrogant stance was Soo. Her blood red lipgloss glimmered in the light as she stepped forward. Her heels clacked with each step like hammers against Vy’s head.

“Not a step further boys,” Soo said in her bell like voice. Vy clenched her jaw. “Throw your guns over, come on now.”

They reluctantly slid their guns over to Soo and Minhyuk. She smiled and ran her hands along Jooheon’s arms. Her hand rested on his neck.

Vy could no longer hold it in. “Let him go if you want to get out of here alive.”

Soo let out a free airy laugh. “You still haven’t learned have you?”

“Do you know that your fucking games almost got your brother killed? Do you even give a shit about him!” Vy said. She almost spat her words.

Soo raised her eyebrow for a second before composing her face once again.

Minhyuk’s mouth frowned as his stony facade began to show cracks. “Hyungwon? Is he dead?”

Soo turned and glared at Minhyuk. “Shut the hell up. I told him to stay out of this. He’s a grown man, so he can face his own consequences.”

“You fucking bitch…” Vy took a step towards her when a voice bellowed at them from above.

“Finally you’ve arrived!” It was Mr. Kim.

Wonho was the one who growled with agitation at the sight of him. He was atop the catwalk and suddenly over twenty guns surrounded them from above. They were completely cornered.

Mr. Kim walked over to the wall closest to them and leaned on the railing. “Wonho, I’m sorry. It had to be like this.”

“Fuck you Kim.” Wonho’s hands clenched into fists and Vy could feel the urge he had to put a bullet in Mr. Kim’s head.

“We believe that your father is no longer fit to run the company. And as our business goes, there’s only one way to make any real changes.”

“He trusted you!”

“And I loved him. As my own brother in law, but this isn’t personal Wonho, its business.” With that he waved his hand in the air and all they heard around them were loud clicks.

With a panicked thought Vy realized they were being locked in the building. She looked over at Minhyuk and Soo who looked equally unsettled.

Soo glanced up at Mr. Kim and yelled at him. “Kim! What are you doing? Are we just leaving them here?”

Mr. Kim did not stop walking as he spoke over his shoulder. “Sorry my dear, you know too much, you know how these things go.”

“What the fuck! You fucking bastard!” Soo lost her cool and ran toward him with her gun raised in the air. A shot fired from the catwalk at her feet and she backed away.

Mr. Kim looked back just before his exit and waved. “This whole place is going to blow, and I’m going to say you were trapped in your own mess Wonho. Say your prayers and goodbyes while you can. I’m truly sorry.”

With that the final lock clicked and they were gone. Kihyun and Changkyun looked at one another in alarm.

“There’s bombs all over the place, whose guess is that they’re in these crates?” Changkyun said.

“We need to find the detonator somewhere in all this? Fuck…” Kihyun said.

Wonho started laughing. They all thought he had lost it when he was just looking at Soo. “It’s just business Soo, how does it feel getting fucked right back?”

“Shut the fuck up!” She lifted her gun in the air and fired.

Wonho fell to the ground clutching his leg. It bled profusely but he continued to laugh through the pain. Vy felt the air clear her lungs. That was it. She had enough. She lunged at Soo with all she had.

They both tumbled to the ground. Minhyuk was startled and reached over but Soo yelled at him to refrain. “No! This bitch is mine.” He jerked his hand back.

Kihyun and Changkyun tried to help Vy but Minhyuk pointed his gun. “You can’t help her now if this place blows. The detonator is in the bottom crate beside the gym doors. Go!”

They looked at each other and then at Wonho. He nodded at them and they ran off. Minhyuk continued to point the gun at Wonho though he gave Minhyuk a strange look when he saw the ever growing crease in his forehead. Minhyuk looked as if he himself might explode.

Vy threw a punch at Soo and felt it hit. Soo fell backward and Vy climbed on top of her. Soo rolled over and pushed Vy off. They both got up with their hands up in the air, ready. Vy almost growled out loud as she lunged once again. Soo feinted to the right and Vy did what she expected. She got Vy right in the face and she staggered backwards. Vy tasted the metallic flavour in her mouth.

“You destroy…everything…why?” Vy said.

She reached for Soo again and pretended to go for a punch. Then she swung her arms back and twisted her body into a kick. Soo was knocked into a pile of crates. She grunted as she fell against them. Vy spat on the ground as she made eye contact with Minhyuk. He stood there looking like something was strangling him from the inside out.

Soo crawled up the pile and jumped on Vy. They rolled along the floor throwing punches at each other. Vy twisted her leg around Soo’s hips and held her in a locking position. Then Soo took Vy’s wrist and pulled on it painfully. Wonho yelled at Soo to stop but she pulled harder. She took a fistful of Vy’s hair and smashed her head onto the ground. Vy felt darkness surround her vision. She heard low rumbles of voices around her and with the last ounce of her strength pushed Soo off her body. She kicked her in the face and crawled away. She saw a set of polished shoes and looked up to see Minhyuk. He looked down at her with that same strangled look on his face. He seemed to have held his breath the whole time. She grabbed the boxes beside him to get herself up. She almost lost her footing and for a second she thought Minhyuk flinched to catch her.

“You fucking bitch…you think you can walk in and just get everything handed to you? Some of us had to make real sacrifices!” Soo said as she got up. There was a gun in her hand.

It clicked to the next round. Wonho struggled to get up and was too far away to stop it. Vy knew what was about to happen and she barely cared. She took one look at Wonho’s agonized face and felt hands grab her hips. Soo fired the bullet without a second thought.

“Aahh!” A cry pierced the room. Minhyuk fell to his knees while clutching his stomach.

Vy was already on the ground and looked back in horror. She looked between Soo and Minhyuk in utter shock. Soo barely realized what she had done and dropped the gun. Minhyuk groaned as he held the wound. All Vy could do was stare at the scene.

“Why…” she said under her breath.

Minhyuk looked her in the eyes and for one tiny moment she saw a spark of something. It vanished as soon as Soo’s voice rang in the air.

“You’re dead bitch!” She ran to Vy and grabbed her neck.

Vy was too weak to resist. She tried fighting back but there was no use. Soo’s strong arms took hold of her and knocked her down to the ground. Soo straddled her and got a solid grip on her throat. She saw the fire and the pain in Soo’s eyes. They were wild with madness. Vy gurgled for air and scratched at Soo’s hands.

Wonho got up and tried to limp towards them when Minhyuk pointed his gun at him. “Don’t move Wonho!”

Wonho barely stopped. “She’s going to fucking die Minhyuk, is that what you wanted?! I’m not going to let the girl I love die!”

Vy felt burning in her lungs and felt the pull of darkness again. She tried to speak but no sound came out.

“Soo!” Minhyuk yelled.

The strangling became stronger and Vy thought it was really the end. She thought her eyes would pop out of her head and she could no longer bear it. A shot fired.

The pressure released from her neck and she took a big gulp of air. Just then Soo’s body flopped onto hers. Vy gasped for air and felt the limpness of the body on top of her. She pushed Soo off and saw that she was dead. A bullet wound through her head. She scurried away and looked at Minhyuk. He was sobbing with the gun in his hands. He threw it away and inched towards Soo. He took her body in his arms and hugged it. She could not hear what he was saying until his face moved away from her shoulder. He was chanting “I’m sorry” repeatedly.

“Minhyuk…” Vy said.

He pushed Soo’s hair out of her face and gave her a tender kiss on the forehead. Then he laid her down gently. He looked at Vy with an expression of such suffering that she felt the air leave her lungs again.

Vy got up and walked over to Wonho still looking at Minhyuk. She helped him up and supported him. Kihyun came running over with a panicked expression.

“Changkyun could only do so much, its a different model…We have five minutes to leave the building…” He looked down.

“Then let’s get the fuck out of here,” Wonho said.

Kihyun struggled to speak. “Someone needs to stay….the wires need to be held together. Changkyun’s got it right now, I told him I’d do it but that fuck won’t let me,” Kihyun said. He almost sobbed at the last part. His eyes were glassy and red.

Vy and Wonho looked at each other knowing there was not enough time.

“I’ll do it.”

The three of them looked over at Minhyuk who was now struggling to stand. One hand at his stomach and one hand on Jooheon’s chair. His sweatshirt was stained with fresh blood and his hands were red. Suddenly an invincible smile spread across his face. He took out a knife and cut off Jooheon’s bonds.

“Someone take him, its just a strong tranquilizer,” Minhyuk said.

Kihyun walked over to Jooheon, swung his arm over his shoulder, and dragged him away. They followed Kihyun to where Changkyun was by the gym doors. He was sweating profusely as he held two wires together with his fingers. When they arrived he tried to feign bravado.

“Even if we have a bit more time, how will we get out?” Vy said.

Minhyuk pointed to the catwalk, “if you go up there, there’s a hidden door in the projector room that leads to an electrical closet. That closet has another door that nobody knows about, which leads to a fire pump room. From there you can go to the roof and climb down.”

They looked at each other and nodded as that was there best bet. Kihyun helped Minhyuk sit by Changkyun and they carefully passed the wires along. Minhyuk sat back and looked at them all with the same smile on his face. Kihyun gave him one of their walkie talkies.

Nobody moved a muscle until Minhyuk laughed. “Get the hell out of here, you gonna die for a fucker like me?”

It was in that moment that every feature of his face, every line, every plane returned to the man they all recognized. He looked genuine and honest. Like he was meeting old friends again. He looked happy.

“Minhyuk…” Vy said.

She gave him one last look and they walked towards the wall. She went up first and helped the others. Changkyun and Kihyun carried Jooheon while she supported Wonho. They went through the series of rooms as fast as they could. Her heart raced through her body.

Once they were at the door that led to the roof Vy heard her radio crackle. It was Minhyuk. They ran to the edge of the roof and found a ladder down. Wonho dangerously hobbled down it. Vy went next as Minhyuk’s voice was heard from her hip.

“I-I’m sorry. I know there’s nothing I can say other than that. I’m a coward. I’m a selfish treacherous fuck.”

Kihyun took Jooheon and hung him from the edge of the building where Changkyun and Vy were ready to catch him. Once everyone was down they started to run. The black pavement was covered in leaves and grass as the wind picked up violently around them.

“What can I say? Love made me sick. It’s not always good for you. I did terrible things for it and I hurt you all. I wish that it was different. But this is my bed to lay in. I hope that you all make it out. Vy…”

Her breath caught when she heard him say her name. His voice hitched as if he could no longer breath either.

“Vy, every moment with you was the truest I could ever be. I-I’m so-Vy, you deserve so much better. Maybe in the next life I won’t destroy what I have, I should have loved you b-”

An air cracking boom shook the ground. They all fell forwards as the entire building blew into pieces. The heat of the explosion singed their clothes and they could barely drag themselves away far enough. Flames spread around the compound and licked the sides of the building. Pillars of smoke rose high up in the air in ashy grey patterns.

They got past the fence and Changkyun raced to the car. He brought it around just as they heard sirens getting closer and they pulled out and drove away. The smoke rose in long columns behind them. Vy was in shock when she looked back at the utter destruction of the site. She could barely believe they were only there a few minutes ago.

Minhyuk’s voice played back in her head. It all hit her so fast. A vivid memory came to mind. The time she twisted her ankle and he crouched in front of her to take her up some stairs to get back to their car. She had been so reluctant after almost getting shot and he had laughed at her.

Changkyun’s voice almost broke as he spoke. “This was messed up you guys…”

Vy laughed and everyone looked at her like she had gone crazy. Tears fell down her cheeks as she quoted what Minhyuk had told her on that day, “got to find the good in the bad, otherwise it’s all bad.” Her laughter began to turn into to wild sobs and Wonho grabbed her and pulled her into his chest. She cried into his arms on the drive back. After a few minutes she felt tear drops fall on her head. She hugged him harder.

****************** ****************** ****************** ****************** 

When they returned, Jooheon had stirred awake. They took him to the broken room where Shownu, Miranda, and Lana were half asleep on the table beside Hyungwon. Lana woke up first and started crying when she saw Vy. She gave her a huge hug and Vy felt any possible broken bones break in that embrace. Lana then ran to Kihyun and jumped on him. He was barely able to keep his balance but held her close to him.

They sat down and relaid everything that had occurred. A heavy silence hung in the air after they finished. Jihun cooed from his car seat quietly.

“We can nail Kim now, it’s over,” Shownu said.

Jooheon sat there looking dazed. “But Minhyuk…”

“He saved us all in the end…” Wonho said. He then got up and walked out of the room.

Vy followed him outside and saw him standing in the middle of all the rubble. His profile was tall and beautiful. She walked over and slid her hand into his. He took a deep breath and looked at the dark navy blue sky.

“What a long fucking night,” he said.

“Longest I’ve ever had,” Vy said.

“Are you okay?” He looked over at her as he spoke.

She looked out into the sky and wiped her eyes that filled with tears again. “I don’t know what I am right now. But I’m happy that we’re all together.” She squeezed his hand and felt him squeeze back.

“Me too, you’re our family now and have been for a while. This may not be the right moment, but there never is one,” he paused as he turned to her and held her hands. “There is no one else but you. From when we first met until now, it’s only been you Vy. I love you. I live and breath you.”

She felt the tears sting her eyes for the hundredth time that day and she felt his mouth on hers. Their kiss was deep and strong. She felt their bond deepen with each motion. He slid his arm around her waist and she put her hand on the back of his neck. When they retracted she wrapped her arms around his body and rested her head on his chest. He stroked her head in soft comforting motions. They stood like that for a long time until the sun began to rise.

That was when she knew, even though it was not okay and it might never be okay, she still managed to find the good within the bad. It was not all bad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> https://btsinwonderland.tumblr.com/post/162073014374/love-me-better-a-monsta-x-story 
> 
> I made a soundtrack for this whole story, here's the link to the list of songs on my Tumblr^
> 
> Soundtrack Titles:
> 
> Gangsta - Kehlani (Title Track - note, this song actually inspired the entire story!)
> 
> Blind - Monsta X
> 
> Blue Jeans - Lana Del Rey
> 
> Bonbon - Era Estrefi
> 
> Inside Out - Britney Spears
> 
> Six Feet Under - The Weeknd
> 
> Low Life - Future ft. The Weeknd
> 
> Love Me Like You Do - Ellie Goulding
> 
> Poltergeist - Banks
> 
> Feel - Post Malone ft. Kehlani


End file.
